The Choices We Make
by RETIRED666
Summary: Four hunters. Two awesome cars. One United States. Anything can happen. DeanxOC SamxOC
1. Once Upon A Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter One: Once Upon A Time**

Once upon a time, a man and woman in love had twins. They gave their children regal names, Charlotte and Alexander. They both wanted to give up their dangerous life styles to keep their children's lives safe, but it didn't work out that way.

See, the parents were hunters of the supernatural and that is one job that you can't hide from. They wanted their kids to have a normal life, but it didn't work out that way.

When Charlotte and Alexander were three, their father died on a hunt. Feeling scared for the safety of her children, their mother stopped hunting and raised her children. They started a normal life and the mother was glad, but it didn't work out that way.

Her kids wanted to learn how to hunt. Even though all of her motherly instincts told her no, she started teaching them everything she knew about hunting. She hoped that they would learn but never use the skills, but it didn't work out that way.

Xxxxxxxx

It was eight in the evening in a quiet town in North Dakota. The sun had been down for an hour or so though it was still quite warm. In a green and gold toned hotel room, a twenty-four year old woman turned off the shower and stepped out into a steamy room. Her name was Charlotte, though she went by her nickname, Charlie. She was five foot six, with wavy blonde hair cut at her shoulders and dark grey eyes.

Wrapping her hair up in a towel, and then one around her body, Charlie walked out of the bathroom and into the small hotel room. Two twin-sized beds sat in the middle of the room, a nightstand with a lamp between them. There were two wooden chairs and a matching table near the big window next to the door. Charlie's twin brother Alexander sat at the table, a laptop computer in front of him.

Alexander was like his sister; he liked to be called by the shorter version of his name, Alex. He was five foot ten and shared his sister's grey eyes but had short and spiky dark brown hair.

"Turn around," Charlie told him as he turned to look at her coming out of the bathroom, He did what was asked of him and turned his attention back to his computer as his sister started pulling on an outfit. A pair of well-worn blue jeans, black Harley-Davidson biker boots, an army prink tank top and a worn black leather jacket. She pulled the towel off her head and started combing out her hair.

"Refresh my memory," she said to her brother.

Alex sighed and sat back in his chair. "There's a local haunted house that is said to be home to the ghost of the teenage girl who was murdered there and then put into one of the walls. Every ten years, there's a string of murders on the road outside the house. All we have to do is find a wall that doesn't fit the structure and salt and burn the bones. And you know what?" he added, looking over at his sister by the beds.

"What?" she asked.

"You're the one who found this job and you can't even remember what it's about," he told her with a smirk.

"Don't blame me! I've got a lot of stuff going on," she shot back.

Xxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, two brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester, pulled up in front of an old abandoned house in a black '67 Chevy Impala. The two had been in town for two days and Dean was getting sick of the small North Dakota town. With fake ID's and skillful lying, Sam had gotten them two blueprints to the old Duran house. They were searching for a wall that had been added in 1969 when, it's said, Old Man Duran killed teenager Katy Simmon and built a brick wall around her dead body. Using the two blue prints, Sam and Dean found exactly where the wall was. All they had to do was break down the wall, salt and burn the bones, and hope not to get killed in the process.

"This should be pleasant," Dean, the oldest brother, said as he got out of his car. Sam got out as well and joined his brother at the car's trunk. Dean popped it open and held it up with a rifle while he pulled up the floor in the trunk to reveal every single weapon imaginable to hunt the supernatural. He took out a sledgehammer and handed it to Sam.

"I'm guessing I have to break down the wall," Sam stated as Dean grabbed out a can of lighter fluid and salt as well as a shotgun loaded with rocksalt.

"You sure are, Sammy," Dean told his younger brother as he shut the trunk. They then walked up to the forbidding looking house and inside. The wall they were looking for was in the dinning room where an old china cabinet should be pushed up against it. They found it in under a minute. Dean set down the lighter fluid and salt next to Sam on the floor and kept a watchful eye out for Katy Simmon's spirit while Sam broke down the wall.

"She should come soon," Sam told Dean as he stood up to start breaking down the top of the wall. "The noise will attract her."

No sooner had he said that than the spirit showed up. It was a teenage girl with red hair and the clothes she was wearing were torn to pieces. She came up slowly and silently behind Sam just as he broke through the wall to show a skeleton stuffed inside.

Dean lifted the shotgun and yelled, "Sam! Drop!" Sam dropped to his knees and started to pour salt and lighter fluid on the skeleton. As soon as Sam was clear, Dean pulled the trigger and the spirit disappeared, if only for the minute.

Xxxxxxxx

"Did you hear that?" Alex asked as he and Charlie entered the house that locals said was haunted.

"Who wouldn't?" Charlie shot at him as she ran down the hall and to the dining room just in time to see a young man on his knees, dropping a match into a cubby in the wall.

_A/N: How's that for a chapter? I honestly, have never been more proud of a chapter (or storyline for that matter)! Please tell me what you think! _


	2. Watersteel

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Two: Watersteel**

No, this couldn't be happening. Charlie's thoughts were much like this as Katy Simmon's skeleton went up in flames. Charlie wasn't enjoying this site at all. After all, she had picked out this job and she had been so proud of herself for finding it because Alex usually did all the finding. Angry wasn't even close to the feeling welling up inside of her. She was livid. This was supposed to be _her_ gig; two guys weren't supposed to be doing it for her.

Alex could almost feel Charlie getting angry beside him. He was pretty sure that she was about to rip the two men in front of them to pieces. And he wasn't going to let that happen. He grabbed her elbows just before her rage made its way up to her mouth.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she screamed, trying to break out of Alex's grip.

Hearing her voice, Dean and Sam looked up from the burning skeleton in the wall, to a very angry blonde woman being help back by a taller brown haired man. Dean wondered what they were doing there, but his question was answered as his eyes fell on the shotgun and salt lying next to the two strangers on the floor. Dean glanced over at Sam, who had also put two and two together to realize that the two people in front of them were hunters.

Charlie and Alex had known immediately that they were hunters. Why else would they have a shotgun and were lighting a skeleton on fire. Alex was almost glad that the job was already done. Sure, he and Charlie had hunted their whole lives, but he was more the researcher and Charlie more the killer.

"This was my gig!" she yelled, still struggling against her brother's grip.

Sam was about to say something back before his eye caught on the skeleton on fire. It was burning just close enough to the real walls of the house to catch them on fire.

"Dean!" He tried to get his brother's attention. He did, and with one look at the quickly spreading fire, Dean pushed Sam toward the doorway Charlie and Alex were standing in. Sam pushed them down the hall and outside. Dean came out a second later, and the four stood on the dead grass in front of the house.

Charlie was finally starting to calm down, so Alex let her go. "That was my gig," she said softly, looking on as the fire spread through the house.

Dean, who was standing beside her with Sam on his right, looked down at her. "Your gig?" he asked.

Charlie and Alex had nearly forgotten that they were standing next to two strangers, who were also hunters. Charlie turned to face the two men and sized them up. The one who had spoken looked like the oldest, even though he was a few inches shorter than the one who had started the fire. They both looked very much like hunter material.

"I found it myself and was supposed to finish it _myself_," Charlie told them. "So now you two aren't on my good list."

Sam glanced over at Dean, who was sizing up the girl in front of him. She had spunk, that's for sure, though she didn't actually fit under the hunter-looking-type. But to tell you the truth, he'd never met a woman hunter before. "Well, since we're on your bad list, you should know our names. I'm Dean. This is my brother, Sam."

Sam gave her a weak smile when Dean introduced them. She was pretty sure the names sounded familiar but she just couldn't figure out where from.

"I'm Charlie," she told them. "That's my brother, Alex."

Alex stood behind her, ready to break some bones if needed. He wasn't sure if he could trust this Dean and Sam, and if they tried to do anything to his sister, he'd be more than happy to kill them.

"No kidding," Dean said, looking from Charlie to Alex. They didn't look the least bit related.

"So you're hunters?" Sam asked.

Charlie nodded. "Born and raised. It's in our blood." The heat from the almost completely burning house was starting to make her woozy. She stumbled over to her car, parked a few yards away. Alex followed her and, being curious, Dean and Sam followed as well.

Charlie leaned on the trunk of a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, deep maroon with an air grabber hood and chrome tipped duel exhausts. Dean eyed the car with a look like a kid in a candy shop.

"Is this yours?" he asked. It was an awesome car and, even though it was more a girls' car, he couldn't help but be interested.

Charlie looked up from the ground she was staring at. "She's mine. She's nice, huh?"

Dean nodded, still looking over the Camaro. He looked up at her after he'd finished searching over as much of the car as he could in firelight. The light from the fire glowed on her face and he noticed that she wore a two-inch steel cross on a chain around her neck. It made her look a little more hunter-like; or maybe just like a religious freak.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to her necklace.

"It's a cross," she told him.

He smirked. "I can see that. What's it for?"

"It's made out of watersteel," she told him. Seeing his and Sam's confused looks, she decided to explain. "It's protection against any type of supernatural being. It doesn't repel them, which would kind of screw up the point of being a hunter, but it makes it so that if I get hurt by something, then it won't be so bad as it could be."

Sam looked rather interested in what she was saying. Dean was a bit slow at figuring out what she had just said, but when he did, he found that it was a good to know.

"So while you're wearing that cross, supernatural things can't hurt you?" Sam questioned.

Charlie shook her head. "No. I can still get hurt, but my injuries wouldn't be as bad as you'd expect them to. And as long as I'm wearing this, vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters can't touch me."

"Then it's a good thing to have," Sam said with a small smile.

"Not to break this up, but we should leave before someone sees the fire," Alex piped up.

"Good idea," Charlie said, walking over to the drivers' side of her Camaro. "You guys want to grab a bit to eat? I saw a cute little place on the way over here."

The brothers glanced at each other and both shrugged.

"Sure," Dean said, walking away with Sam close behind. He had parked the Impala beside the big barn that was also in the field where the Duran house was now alight. He threw the shotgun in the trunk and got into the drivers' seat. Sam was already waiting in the car. The engine roared to life and Dean pulled her out and stopped behind Charlie's car.

Charlie was still standing outside her car and Alex was waiting inside. She watched the Impala pull up and raised an eyebrow. The car was in perfect condition and she could tell that Dean was proud of it. He opened the car door and stepped out.

"Nice car," she called to him.

"Thanks. So you gonna pay?" he asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "What do I look like? An ATM? Why don't you just follow me like a good little puppy?"

Before Dean could respond, she slipped into her car and started the engine.

Xxxxxxxx

"Follow you like a freakin' puppy," Dean mumbled as he go into his car and started to follow Charlie's Camaro.

Sam glanced over at his brother. Dean was busy saying god knows what under his breath and Sam suppressed a chuckle.

"I _don't_ take orders from a girl,' Dean said suddenly.

"And yet, you're following a girl," Sam pointed out.

Dean glared at him. "I didn't have a choice."

"Oh right," Sam said quickly. "So what do you think about meeting more hunters?"

Dean shrugged. "I knew it was going to happen eventually. Though I didn't expect to meet a girl hunter."

Xxxxxxxx

"Can we trust them?" Alex asked Charlie as she started the Camaro.

"Yeah," she replied quickly.

"You seem so sure about that," Alex said, turning down the radio.

"Their names ring a bell."

"And that makes you trust them?"

Charlie gnawed on her bottom lip, tying to remember why Dean and Sam sounded familiar. Suddenly, it hit her.

"Winchester!" she exclaimed, causing Alex to look at her oddly.

"Isn't that a gun?" he asked.

"Yes, Alex. But it's also their last name. Their dad is a hunter and taught them everything he knows. They're supposed to be the best hunters around."

"And you know this how?"

"Word gets around."

They were supposed to be the best hunters, these Winchester. But Charlie was sure that she and Alex were better. She'd just have to wait and see.

_A/N: How'd you like it? I hope you all understand how I explained Charlie's Camaro. I assure you that it would look like a girl-hunter version of Dean's Impala. Anyway…Hope you all like this story as much as my others! Oh and I made up the part about the watersteel…I hope it sounds convincing!_


	3. Joking…Or Not

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Three: Joking…Or Not**

Charlie pulled her Camaro into the small parking lot of a train-cart-turned-restaurant. _Stevie's Diner_ flashed in light on a makeshift sign placed on top of the building. She and Alex got out of the car just as Dean and Sam pulled up in the Impala. As the two got out, Dean gave the diner a quizzical look.

"You sure that we won't get poisoned?" he asked, as Sam followed him over to the twins.

Charlie rolled her eyes as the four made their way to the entrance. "Alex and I have eaten at places that looked worse."

Sam and Alex went in last, watching Charlie and Dean bicker over what table to sit at.

"Seems like we both have our own spokesperson," Sam said humorously.

"Yeah, well Charlie usually does all the talking," Alex told him as the door banged shut behind them.

There were only two other people in the building. Stevie was standing in the kitchen, simply staring at a bag of potatoes. The waitress was dress in a faded blue uniform and looked like she was ninety years old. Charlie was sick of decided what table to sit at and just slid into one of the five booths in the place. Dean glared at her, but slid into the seat opposite her. Alex and Sam sat down next to their siblings.

"So how long were you on the job?" Sam asked, as the old lady slowly made her way to their table.

"We were on our way from Florida to Virginia and I found this gig. We got here this afternoon and found out more about it. It was going smoothly until you two showed up," Charlie answered.

"What can I get you kids to drink?" The nametag on the waitress's shirt said 'LOLA'. Her voice crackled as she spoke and set out menus in front of them. They all ordered their drinks and started looking through the menus. Sam furrowed his brow as the reality of what Charlie had said became clear.

"What. So you guys got here _today_?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," Charlie replied.

"Didn't you need time to get more information?"

"Nope. We're just that good."

Dean closed his menu and set it down on the table as Lola hobbled over to them with their drinks. "I _don't_ like girls telling me what to do and I _don't_ like them saying they're better than me."

Charlie blinked at him. Surely he hadn't just criticized her just because she was female. That was one thing she didn't enjoy. But before she could say anything else, Lola set down their drinks and they ordered their food. Everyone at the table was silent. The only noise was the sound of Lola's shoes against the linoleum floor and the sizzle of food being cooked on the grill by Stevie.

Alex was thinking of his mom back in Kentucky. She still lived in the same house he and Charlie had grown up in, and she owned a little café that used to be where all the neighborhood kids hung out. He silently wished he was back home instead of running around the country with Charlie. He was good at hunting, but he had always liked the researching part better than the actual killing.

Sam was thinking about his dad. His and Dean's quest to find John just kept getting colder and colder as the days went by. Would they ever find him? Maybe he didn't want to be found, like Dean had told him just last night. Maybe they should just stop looking and concentrate on finding the demon and saving innocent lives. Maybe Charlie and Alex could help.

Charlie was fuming. She was sure that steam was blowing out of her ears. Dean's gender remark really hit the right buttons on her. Who was he to tell her that she wasn't as good as him? They had met less than an hour before and he was already assuming that he was better at hunting than her. He had no right to say or even _think_ that.

Dean knew that he'd hit a nerve in Charlie with his comment. He almost regretted it. Almost. Sure he'd never seen her in action on a hunt before, so maybe he shouldn't have told her that he was better than her. He didn't really want to piss her off either. She looked like she'd just about tear him apart and even though Alex was a quiet guy, he looked like he could do some damage.

All their thoughts were interrupted when Lola started talking to Stevie; but she was talking so loud that they all figured anyone standing outside could here her.

"I asked my grandson to feed Fifi," she was saying. "He's a good boy you know, Stevie. Got in some trouble but it wasn't his fault.

She quieted after that, as she walked into the kitchen. Charlie was looking around at every detail of the place and Dean was looking outside through the window they sat next to, though he sometimes glanced over at Charlie. It started to get deadly silent, but Dean though he heard something so he cocked his head to listen. Yes, it was something. He was sure that it was metal against…something he couldn't quite place.

"What's that sound?" he asked, glancing from Sam, to Alex, and last to Charlie across the table.

"Oh, sorry. That's me," Charlie told him, giving him a tiny half-I hate-you, half-you're-kina-cute smile.

He raised an eyebrow. "You? But I thought it was metal against–"

"Teeth," she finished for him. "I've got a tongue ring."

Before anyone else could speak, Stevie and Lola came out of the kitchen, each carrying two plates full of French fries and hamburgers. Lola set her two in front of Sam and Dean and Stevie placed his in front of Charlie and Alex. Dean had to admit that the food looked great.

"So how long have you guys been hunting?" Charlie asked once Stevie and Lola had retreated back into the kitchen.

"Basically our whole lives," Sam told her. "Our Dad taught us everything."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Aren't you guys the Winchesters?" she asked.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Dean replied.

"Word gets around in the hunting world," she said, a cold tone in her voice from his earlier comment.

"Oh. What about you?" Sam asked.

"Well, our dad died on a hunt when we were little so," Alex started to explain.

"So, we bugged our mom, who's also a hunter, to teach us everything," Charlie finished.

"Both your parents were hunters?" Dean inquired.

She nodded. "Yeah. But our mummy taught us to be nice to other people. I guess you missed that lesson, Dean." His name come off her tongue sharply, and maybe a little harsher than she intended.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"That little gender comment earlier. 'Oh, I don't take orders from girls and _no_ girl is better than me'," she mimicked.

Dean stared at her across the table. She stared right back. "Are you mocking me?" he asked.

"Are you still saying that you're better than me?" she shot back. "Because if you are, then Alex'll come with me back to the little Hillcrop Hotel and make plans to kill you."

Now both brothers were staring at her. Dean because he wasn't sure if she was joking or serious, and Sam because he couldn't believe a girl had just told Dean off.

"Are you joking?" Dean asked slowly.

"Nope. So take it back," Charlie demanded.

"Fine. I will. You don't have to be such a bitch about it," Dean grumbled.

She sighed and turned her attention to Sam. "You seem like such a nice guy, Sam. What the hell happened to your brother?"

"I honestly can't tell you. I have no idea," Sam said with a little laugh. Dean slapped him on the back of the head. "What was that for?"

"For helping her plot against me, you jerk," Dean told him.

"I'm glad we don't fight all the time, Alex. It's _so_ immature," Charlie said airily.

"You're siblings too, right?' Sam asked.

"Yup. And I'm guessing you're the youngest brother, Sam?" she replied.

"Yeah. What about you?"

"Charlie's the oldest," Alex put in.

"Only by a minute and twenty seconds," Charlie said, rolling her eyes.

"Wait a minute. You two are twins?" Dean asked.

"Unfortunately. But you'd never know by looking at us, would ya?"

"I sure the hell didn't."

"I'm glad. It's the one thing that helps on hunts. When we pretend to be cops or something, we use different last names. Since we don't look alike, people don't start to wonder."

Lola wondered over and set down a check on the end of the table. "There you go, sweeties," she said in her crackly voice before joining Stevie back in the kitchen.

"Never though of that. Guess it's a good thing Dean and I don't look too much alike," Sam said.

"I'm glad for it too," Dean started. "One, I don't want your girl figure and two, if you looked liked me Sam, I couldn't have all the girls to myself."

"You're really full of yourself, you know that?" Charlie reached over Alex's plate and grabbed the check. It was only a few scents over sixteen dollars, so she fished a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and put them both back on the table.

"So you are paying, Miss ATM," Dean smirked, finishing off his fries.

"It just so happens that I am," Charlie said, and she fought back the urge to stick her tongue out at him. Alex yawned and stretched his arms, making Charlie pat his shoulder.

"I know you're tired. You missed you afternoon nap," she said in a motherly voice.

Alex laughed and rolled his eyes. "You're one twisted person, sister."

"Oh I know," she said sweetly, before turning to Dean and Sam. "So where are you guys staying at?"

"Hillcrop Hotel," Sam told her. "It's the same place as you."

"Huh! I wonder how we didn't see your hunk of a car. What room are you in?"

"54," Dean said.

"Oh," she said, nodding her head. "That's on the _other_ side of the building. We're right next to the exit. But, we're gonna get going." She pushed Alex out of seat and the two stood looking at the Winchesters.

"I hate you for crashing my gig, but you're okay. See yaz at the hotel!" she said, before grabbing Alex's arm and pulling him outside, leaving Dean and Sam alone in the diner.

"Well, _that_ was interesting," Dean said, before looking out the winder just in time to see Charlie's Camaro pull onto the main road and scream away.

_A/N: Another chapter is here! I've gotta say that I'm getting really attached to Charlie and Alex and this is only the third chapter! Hope you all like it! Thanks for the reviews!_


	4. The Best

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Four: The Best**

Charlie's cell phone alarm went off at five in the morning. Sighing, she rolled onto her back, turned off the alarm and stared at the ceiling. She had made a plan with Alex last night about hunting around a bit with Dean and Sam. Dean. She got an odd feeling whenever she was around him, though she didn't know if it was a good or bad feeling. All she did know was that she and Alex could trust the Winchesters.

She got out of bed and looked at Alex, who hadn't even moved when her alarm went off. Rolling her eyes, Charlie brushed through her hair before she went to take a shower. She let a warm water soothe her bruising upper arms. It seemed that she had been angrier than she had though last night. When Alex had held her back from killing Sam and Dean, she was struggling so hard that he had to dig his nails into her skin, leaving the bruises. Normally, if anyone else hurt her, Charlie would be pissed but she couldn't get mad at Alex.

Stepping out of the shower, she pulled on the same pants as yesterday, a light blue tank top, and some socks before drying her hair. By the time she was completely ready it was five thirty, so she quickly pulled on and tied her boots before kicking Alex's bed. He grunted.

"Rise and shine, sunshine," Charlie said cheerfully.

"What time is it?" Alex mumbled into his pillow.

"Five thirty."

"What?"

"I want to be ready to leave when Dean and Sam are, and I've no idea when they'll be leaving."

He rolled onto his back and then slowly sat up. "Can you get coffee at least?"

"Already there," she said, pulling on her leather jacket, and turning the doorknob. "And you better be ready when I get back!"

Xxxxxxxx

Sam woke up before Dean, as usual. Looking at the alarm clock between the two beds, he saw that it was five thirty in the morning. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, he got up and took a quick shower. Coming back into the room, Dean was still snoozing so Sam started to pack their things. He didn't bother trying to keep quiet, and ended up waking a very grumpy Dean.

"What're you doing?" Dean asked his brother, sitting up.

"Uh…it's called packing," Sam said.

"Smart-ass," Dean mumbled as he stood up and hit Sam across the back of the head before going into the bathroom to take a shower. Ten minutes later, he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Cursing for some unknown reason, he grabbed some clothes before heading back to the bathroom to get dressed and make himself presentable. Then he and Sam went outside, threw their bags in the Impala and Dean jumped in the drivers' seat, leaving Sam to check out.

As he turned on his car and searched through his cassette tape box, Dean couldn't help but think about Charlie. There was something different about her personality that he had never encountered before, though he guessed it was from the fact that she was a hunter. He wasn't altogether sure what was so different about her, nor if he liked it or not. He didn't have time to dwell on Charlie anymore as Sam slid into the Impala next to Dean.

"Sam, it's six in the morning," he said, starting toward the exit. "I shouldn't be awake."

"I bet coffee sounds good though," Sam replied.

Dean nodded, about to agree when he saw Charlie leaning up against the grill of her Camaro, talking to Alex who was sucking down a coffee. She looked up when she heard the Impala and Dean stopped as she walked over to them. Sam rolled down his window and she leaned into the car, smiling at the Winchesters who looked awfully confused.

"Morning, guys!" she said cheerfully. "Want to grab some breakfast at Stevie's with us?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other and shrugged, not sure if they had a choice in the matter or not. Dean looked back at Charlie, who was waiting patiently for an answer.

"Sure, but I'm not following you this time," Dean told her. She nodded and walked back to her car. He pulled up to the exit and waited until Charlie came up behind him before turning on the deserted street, heading towards Stevie's.

Xxxxxxxx

As the four walked into the small diner, they weren't as alone as they had been last night. At the bar that separated customers from the kitchen, sat six salt-and-pepper haired men, all donning army jackets and bright orange caps. Three of the five booths were full of people just passing through.

Dean, Charlie, Sam, and Alex sat in the same configuration as the night before. Stevie was once again in the kitchen cooking, but Lola was replaced with a lady in her mid-fifties and a black haired beauty. The beauty walked over to them, wearing a less faded version of Lola's uniform and a nametag that said 'KRISTI'.

"What can I get for ya'll?" she asked with a strong Texas accent. Sam, Alex, and Dean all ordered pancakes, then it was Charlie's turn. She ordered three pancakes as well as an omelet and four pieces of toast. Kristi wrote everything down and Dean raised an eyebrow as he turned to Charlie.

"Girl can eat," he said.

"You bet. Just don't hold that against me, because I assure you that I'm _not_ fat," Charlie told him with an innocent smile.

Dean shook his head as Sam started talking. "So where are you headed next?" he asked.

Charlie shrugged. "I was thinking about heading up to Virginia to take care of that gig. What do you think, Alex?"

"I guess the same," Alex replied. "We could probably make it there tonight if we left right after eating."

"What's in Virginia?" Dean asked as Kristi came over with their drinks. For once his eye didn't follow the curvy waitress and instead he looked at Charlie.

"A gig. I thought we already went over that," Charlie said, raising an eyebrow.

He stared at her over the table. She was as much as a smart-ass as he was. Heck, maybe even more. "I know it's a hunt. What is it?"

"Ask him," Charlie replied, pointing a finger at Alex. Dean turned to the younger man.

Now this is where Alex excelled in hunts. He was a genius at finding all the clues to hunt in a day or less. "Well," he started. "There's said to be a haunted manor there."

"What else is new?" Dean muttered.

Alex ignored him. "Back in the 1800's it belonged to the Bleck family. The Bleck's consisted of Harry and Abigail and their daughters, Grace and Beth. It's said that the girls were treated like slaves, having to do all the laundry, cooking, cleaning and could never leave the house. When they were seventeen and nineteen, they committed suicide I the kitchen by jamming kitchen knives into their hearts."

"Quite a story, Mr. History," Dean said with a smirk. "So all we've got to do is salt and burn the bones."

"Shut up, damn it! Someone might overhear you!" Charlie hissed at him. He just rolled his eyes and Alex continued.

"It's not that easy. They were burned to ashes that got thrown on the land, like a lot of slaves on the Bleck property."

"So how do we stop them? _Why_ do we need to stop them?" Sam asked.

"Well, it's a local haunted house so people always go to check it out. Also, there's a road right in front of it."

"Have they killed anybody?" Dean asked.

Alex nodded. "They were never allowed to leave the house so they could never get married. All the deaths on that road and in the house have been someone in love. They spirits don't seem to care about people who aren't in love, so I don't think they will harm any of us."

"So the spirits just kill anyone in love? How do we stop them?" Sam asked. Again.

Kristi walked over to them with all the plates balanced precariously in her arms. The four stopped talking and she set out the plates. She left with a "Hope ya'll enjoy" and then they started to talk again.

"Well, I think I've got it figured out. See, before the time when the Bleck's lived, kitchens were made of stone in a separate area of the grounds so no accidental fires could happen. Now, from what I've read, the Bleck's place was one the first houses to be built with a kitchen inside."

"So you're saying we have to burn the kitchen?" Dean clarified.

Alex nodded, his mouth full of food. They ate in silence for a while. Charlie had wolfed down her pancakes and omelet by the time the boys were just finishing off their plates.

"You can sure put it away there, Charlie," Dean said, reaching for a piece of her toast.

She slapped his hand. "Who said you could have any?"

"Who said I couldn't?" he shot back.

"I just did," she said, before smearing jam on her toast and devouring it in a few big bites. Once she finished it, she took the three remaining pieces and threw one on Dean, Sam, and Alex's empty plates.

Dean glared at her. "You just told me I couldn't have any."

She shrugged. "I changed my mind."

Kristi handed them the check, and this time Dean paid. The four walked back outside and stood between their two classic cars.

"So you coming with us?" Charlie asked the Winchesters.

They glanced at each other and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Dean said.

"Peachy!" she exclaimed cheerfully, holding out her hands. "Let me see your phones." They handed their cell phone over and Charlie added both her and Alex's number to both phones, then put Dean and Sam's numbers in their phones.

"Alex has the directions and Sam seems like the navigator. You two should tell us where to go, okay?" she told them.

The three boys nodded and made their way to their cars. Charlie started off, with Dean following and Alex giving Sam brief directions over the phone. Now was time to see who were the best hunters.

_A/N: YAY! Another chapter! Sorry it took so long for me to write this, I've been busy. So I noticed I'd kinda left Alex hanging in a corner in the first three chapters so in this one he talks more heh. I love writing Charlie and Dean! I'm not sure if it shows but I love to make Dean fight with a girl, hehe. So here's another chapter and hope you like it!_


	5. Cinderella Lives

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Five: Cinderella Lives**

The four hunters had made it to Ashburn, Virginia at five that night, found a hotel and got two rooms next to each other. They ordered in pizza and spent most of the night in Sam and Dean's room. Sam and Alex went over the facts of the Bleck house to make sure that they had all the right information and made a solid plan of action for the following night. Dean and Charlie bickered the whole time, throwing smart-ass remarks back and forth, and annoying the crap out of each other along with Sam and Alex.

The next morning Sam got up before Dean, showered and went to go over the plan with Alex. Dean woke up a half an hour later, to find himself in an empty hotel room. Pretty sure that Sam was over in Charlie and Alex's room, Dean took a shower and got dressed before walking outside and knocking on the door marked 7. Sam pulled open the door and let his brother in before sitting down in front of his laptop again. Alex was also in front of his laptop, tying away furiously.

"What are you two nerds doing?" Dean asked, sitting down on the end of one of the twin beds in the room.

"Looking for another hunt," Alex said, never taking his eyes or hands off his computer.

"Dude, we haven't even finished this one yet," Dean pointed out.

Alex laughed. "Yeah well, Charlie always likes to be ahead of things."

Dean shook his head. That definitely sounded like Charlie. "Speaking of, where is your evil twin?"

"I think she went out for a swim," Alex told him, his eyes scanning the screen in front of him.

Dean nodded as he stood up and walked outside. He tried to remember where the pool was, finally gave up, and walked to the office. A lady in her late twenties was behind the counter in jeans and a t-shirt with her wiry hair pulling into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She looked up as he walked in.

"Morning. Can I help you?" she asked as he walked up to the desk.

He flashed her a smile before speaking. "Yeah. I'm looking for the pool."

"It's around the back of the office," she told him, raking a hand through her untidy hair.

Dean thanked her before going back outside and walked around to the back of the office. The pool was a perfect circle with a hot tub nestled in the corner opposite the gate. He locked the gate behind him before turning to the pool. Charlie was floating on her back, eyes closed and her blonde hair floating around her face like a bunch of snakes. Dean couldn't help but notice the top of a pentagram tattooed on the flat skin next to her left hipbone.

"Stalking me are we, Dean?" Charlie asked, her lips turning up to form a small smirk.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Come on," she said, opening her eyes and swimming to the ladder in front of where Dean was standing. "You make more noise than a garbage truck."

Dean decided not to answer, instead watched her get out of the pool and walk over to her towel. On the small of her back there was another tattoo, this one of three black roses.

"Like what you see?" she asked, wringing out her hair.

He immediately wanted to say yes, but then thought better of it. Knowing Charlie, it was some sort of trap or an excuse for Alex to beat him up.

Charlie smiled. "Good answer. Besides, I'm a no-sex-before-marriage kind of girl."

"Isn't that a bit old school?" he asked, following her out the gate.

"Not really. It's just a choice," she said, her towel swinging over her arm.

"Well, it doesn't seem to fit your personality," Dean replied, trying to keep his eyes off all of the uncovered parts of her body, which was very hard for him. For one, it was just his nature, and two all she was wearing was a black bikini with her damp hair falling to her shoulder blades.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "You've only known me for like, a day. You have no idea what my personality is."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that you're in a punk band, playing guitar or something."

"Just because I have three tattoos and a tongue ring?" she asked, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You have three tattoos?"

"Yes, I do. I'm guessing you saw the pentagram and roses," Charlie replied, stopping in front of her hotel room door and turning to face him.

"Yeah well, they're kind of obvious," Dean said, stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

She smirked. "Here's the last," she said, holding out her right arm. Tattooed on her inner wrist was a tiny, but detailed, .45 pistol.

"You have a gun tattooed on your wrist?" Dean asked, looking up from her wrist to her eyes.

She nodded. "You have a problem with that?" Before he could answer, she opened the door and walked inside. Sam and Alex were sitting back in their chairs talking, a pad of paper on the table between their two laptops. Charlie dropped her towel on one of the beds before walking over to her duffel bag and pulling out some clothes.

"Find another hunt, wonderful brother of mine?" she asked Alex.

He shrugged. "Maybe some leads. I'm not sure."

"Okay, whatever you say," she said walking towards the bathroom door. "I have to take a shower unless I want green hair and no peeking!"

Xxxxxxxx

After sunset, Dean's Impala pulled up in front of the old Bleck plantation home. Dean was driving, Charlie sat shotgun and Sam and Alex sat in the back. After much argument between Dean and Charlie, they had decided that one vehicle would make a quicker getaway than both, and since Charlie's Camaro only had two seats, Dean's car was taken.

The four got out and walked around to the back of the car. Dean got himself and Charlie each a shotgun loaded with rocksalt, while Alex and Sam grabbed the lighter fluid and salt. They then quietly made their way into the old building. It was in pristine condition, and walking inside was like taking a step back in time. Alex led the way to the kitchen where he and Sam immediately started dousing the large room with salt and lighter fluid. Dean and Charlie kept watchful eyes alert for any sign of the Bleck sisters. About forty seconds after they got there, Charlie spotted the spirits of Grace and Beth. Both were dressed in tattered calico dresses with gashes over their hearts. They drifted toward Dean, who had his back to them, with a hungry look in their dead eyes. Without thinking Charlie lifted her gun and pulled the trigger. The salt went strait through the spirits, not even slowing them down.

"Shit!" she hissed under her breath.

Dean jumped as the rocksalt bit into the wall not two feet next to him. Turning, he saw the two spirits advancing on him and the useless effects of the rocksalt.

"Oh shit," he cursed before turning to Charlie. With a slight nod, both started jogging through the house. They hoped the spirits would follow them so that Sam and Alex could burn the kitchen. The plan was working, and as she and Dean raced up the staircase, Charlie glanced over her shoulder at the spirits. All she could hope for was that Alex and Sam would burn the kitchen before she and Dean ran out of running space.

But their luck ran out when they ran into a hall with no doors or windows. Dean and Charlie slowed down and turned to see the sisters advancing upon then rather slowly, like a lion stalking its prey. The two slowly backed up until Charlie's back hit the far wall.

"We're trapped," she whispered as Dean stood in front of her, impeding Grace and Beth's path to Charlie.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," Dean said sarcastically, his eyes on the steadily advancing spirits. All of a sudden, the spirits both screamed before disappearing as something came flying through the air and stuck in the wall next to Dean and Charlie. Sam's form rushed towards them.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"What did you throw at them?" Dean asked.

"Kitchen knife," Sam replied, pulling the knife out of the wall. "Usually, a suicide weapon is a weak point for a spirit.

"Should have though of that," Charlie said under her breath as the spirits returned. "Hasn't Alex torched the kitchen yet?"

No one answered as the spirits came closer and Sam got ready to throw the knife again. Suddenly, the two spirits started screaming in agony, a sure sign that Alex had finally set fire to the kitchen. All at once, Dean, Charlie, and Sam ran past the spirits, down the stairs and into the front hall where Alex stood waiting.

"Took you long enough," Charlie said grumpily. "Sam almost skewered us with a knife."

Sam gave her a confused look. "But I was saving your asses," he protested.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "That's what you say," she said, before pushing open the front door and stepping into the clear night.

_A/N: YAY! Another chapter! Sorry it took so long and I hope you like this so far! Reviews make me happy:D_


	6. No Exceptions

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Six: No Exceptions**

The drive back to the hotel was unnaturally quiet. Charlie stared out the side window, her jaw clenching and unclenching. Dean dared not talk to her, somewhat afraid that she would explode. Sam and Alex sat silently in the back seat. By the time Dean pulled up in front of the hotel rooms, he couldn't take it anymore. The two younger men slipped out of the back quickly, leaving Charlie and Dean alone. Just as she reached for the door handle, he grabbed her arm.

She turned to him slowly. "What?" she asked shortly.

"What's up with the sudden grudge?" Dean asked.

Ignoring his question, she tried to pull away, but his grip was too tight. "Let go of me."

He was about to protest, but the look in her eyes made him let go of her arm. As soon as he'd let go, she wrenched open the door and stormed into her and Alex's room. Alex and Sam stopped talking as she came in. Ignoring both of them, she walked to her duffle bag and started searching around the bottom. Her fingers hit crisp plastic and she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She threw it back into her bag after grabbing out a cigarette and an orange BIC lighter. She pushed passed Dean who was just about to come inside.

"Where's she going?" he asked as he watched Charlie walk off into the darkness.

"No idea, but I suggest that Sam follows her," Alex told the Winchesters.

"Sam? What about me?" Dean asked as he watched Sam stand up and walk towards him and the door.

"I'm her brother," Alex said, as if it explained everything.

Without any more questions, Sam brushed passed Dean to follow Charlie.

Xxxxxxxx

Charlie sat on a curb at a grassy park about a quarter mile from the hotel. She closed her eyes as she took another drag of her cigarette, savoring the taste. She had quit ten months earlier, but kept a spare pack when she got really stressed out. She blew the smoke out of her nostrils when she heard Sam's footsteps and opened her eyes to find him sitting on her left.

"Did Alex send you to bring me back?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really. He just suggested that you might talk to me."

"He knows me too well," she said before taking another drag.

"I didn't know you smoked."

"I don't. I quit ten months ago. This is just my emergency pack."

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "You want to tell me what this emergency is?"

She sat quietly for a few minutes, flicking away ash and finishing off her cigarette. "Your brother," she said simply.

"Ah, Dean always seems to be people's problems," Sam said with a nod.

She shrugged. "It's not so much Dean as in what he did tonight."

"What did he do?"

"When the spirits were coming towards us upstairs, Dean stood in front of me."

Sam was confused. "And why was that a bad thing?"

"He was protecting me. I don't need to be protected, Sam," she said, turning to look at him. His eyes were filled with lost, hurt and confusion as were hers.

"Okay. Why don't you?" he asked softly.

"Because people always get hurt when they try to protect me. They _always_ end up getting hurt."

"The change of getting hurt is a risk people take when they are protecting someone or something."

She couldn't help it. She didn't know if it was just her being vulnerable, or is it was just because lately she'd been an emotional wreck. Either way, she leaned towards him and kissed him on the lips. It lasted only a few seconds, after which she looked into his now even more confused eyes.

"Just tell Dean not to protect me anymore, okay?" she said quietly, before standing and walking back in the direction of the hotel.

Xxxxxxxx

Sam slowly closed the hotel room door to find Dean lounged out on his bed, flipping through the TV channels. He looked up as Sam walked in.

"Did you find her?" he asked, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as Sam sat on the end of the unoccupied bed.

"Yeah," Sam said slowly.

"And? What did she say?"

"She…" Sam stopped, his mind on what Charlie had done before she told him what to tell Dean. Why had she kissed him? She was two years older than him and Sam was pretty sure he wasn't her type. Was it just because of the moment, or something else?

"Uh, Sam?" Dean said, walking over to his brother and waving a hand in front of Sam's face.

"Sorry," Sam mumbled as he shook his head, organizing his thoughts. "She said that you pissed her off when you protected her tonight."

"What?" Dean asked, sitting on the end of his bed. "She's angry that I protected her?"

"Yeah. She said that people always get hurt when they try to protect her. I guess she doesn't like the burden."

Dean shook his head. "I swear, she's more backwards than you and me put together, Sam."

Xxxxxxxx

Charlie walked into her hotel room to find Alex glued to his computer. He looked up as she walked in.

"Did Sam find you?" he asked, watching her make her way to her bed and laying down before turning over onto her stomach and pounding her pillow.

"I am so fucking stupid," she mumbled into her pillow as Alex walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge.

"And why's that?" he asked.

She stopped pounded her pillow and turned her face to see Alex. "I kissed him," she said shortly, making Alex raise his eyebrows. "I effing kissed him, Alex!"

"Who?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Sam. I was talking to him fine and normal and then _wham!_ I kissed him. When will I get control of myself?"

Alex knew she didn't really mean much. In all of Charlie's twenty-four years, she had only one boyfriend who she had had to kill while he was possessed. "I'm sure you were just caught up in the moment," he assured her.

"Yeah, I know."

Xxxxxxxx

The next morning, Charlie got up bright and early and went for a swim. She did laps around the pool to calm herself and fight the urge for another cigarette, while she wished it were a square pool as it would be much easer to do laps in. She stopped swimming and tread water as Sam came through the gate.

"Hey," she said, feeling awkward and cursing herself for kissing him the previous night.

"Hey," Sam replied, watching her swim over to a ladder and pull herself up out of the pool. Immediately, thoughts that should be Dean's filled his head.

"Did you tell Dean?" she asked, quickly dying herself off and wrapping the towel around her waist.

"About…?" Sam questioned, catching a glimpse of her black roses tattoo before it was covered with her towel.

"The whole protection thing."

He nodded. "Yeah. I told him. What about…um…"

"Why don't we just keep that between us, Sam," Charlie told him, putting a hand on his arm and steering him toward their rooms.

"Yeah, okay."

"So, Sam. Any reason you came and got me?" she asked, looking down at her bare feet.

"Yeah, actually. Dean got a text from our Dad last night, giving us coordinates to another hunt," Sam explained.

"Oh? And where is it?"

"Breckenridge, Colorado. Recently, some people have gone missing during camping trips in the forest there."

"Okay. The trip could take a day or more if all of us take turns driving," Charlie replied, her hand on the hotel room doorknob.

Xxxxxxxx

After a stop for gas and some potato chips for breakfast, the four hunters started off. While she drove, Alex looked up all the facts he could find on Breckenridge. In the Impala, Sam did the same. After driving for six straight hours, they stopped at a small gas station that had a café inside. Dean walked next to Charlie as they walked through the dusty parking lot.

"Any chance I could get a closer look at those tattoos?" Dean asked, his intentions totally clear.

"I'm afraid not. I'm a girl of my word," Charlie said, giving him a sweet, innocent smile.

"What, you whole no-sex-before-marriage thing? I thought you were kidding."

She shook her head. "Not kidding."

"Come on, Charlie. Not even for me?"

"No exceptions. Even if you were some prince and all I had to do was belly dance for you naked and I could have anything I wanted, I still wouldn't."

Dean raised his eyebrows as they stopped in front of the glass door. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

She rolled her eyes and pushed passed him into the store. Alex and Sam followed them in and they all sat at a table. Alex was still trying to figure out what they might be after.

"So why are you guys doing this?" Charlie asked the Winchesters.

"Doing what?" Sam asked.

"Hunting all over the country. I mean you two are reasonably attractive. Why don't you two have wives and kids and white picket fences?"

"Reasonably attractive?" Dean asked, eyeing her.

"I was going to college," Sam said, ignoring his brother. "I had a girlfriend and a full ride to law school before Dean came by to pick me up a month ago."

Charlie raised her eyebrows in interest. "Oh really? Do tell all the juicy details," she said playfully.

Sam gave her a weak smile. "Dean said our Dad went missing on a hunt so he came to get me to help. I went on one hunt before coming home and…" he trailed off.

Charlie suspected they had reached a touchy subject, but it was now or ever. "What happened?"

"My girlfriend died in a fire caused by a demon who killed our mom," Sam said with a strong mix of anger and sadness.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Charlie said, placing her hand over his. She knew what it was like to lose someone close to you. It was never easy to get over.

Breaking the silence was Alex, who had finally figured out what they were going to be dealing with. "It's a wendigo," he told them just as calmly as telling them what day it was.

_A/N: Another chapter! Oooh…Charlie kissed Sammy! I wasn't actually going to write that part but then I got carried away. Oh and just to let you know, this doesn't really follow the first season of Supernatural, so this isn't the same wendigo as in the show and the boys have already dealt with the Woman in White, the weird water spirit kid, and the phantom traveler demon. Okay, just wanted to fill you in and hope your holidays are going good:D_


	7. Lisa Marshall and Husband

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Seven: Lisa Marshall and Husband**

By the time the four hunters pulled up in front of Westward Hotel, it was close to midnight. Sam and Alex had been driving for a while, so Charlie and Dean got out of their cars and walked towards the office. They didn't say a word to each other, although she wanted to tell him to stop being a cocky self-centered ass and he wanted to know why she wasn't jumping at him like most girls. A sleepy eyed teenage sat behind the desk, flipping through a Teen People magazine.

She looked up as they walked in. "What can I get for you?" she asked with a yawn.

"Two rooms with two beds each," Dean said grumpily.

The girl shook her head. "We're full out. We've got one room with two Queens and a sofa."

"We'll take it," Charlie said before Dean could argue. Five minutes later, the four exhausted hunters stumbled into the room marked 57. They threw their bags on the floor and Charlie searched around her pockets for a coin. She pulled out a quarter and turned to the three men who were practically falling asleep on their feet.

"We'll flip a coin to see who gets the beds," she told them matter-of-factly. "Alex, head or tails?"

"Tails," her twin answered with a yawn.

She flipped the coin and it landed on tails. "Ha! We get the beds," she said happily, sitting on the end of one of the beds. Alex laid down on the other and fell asleep almost immediately.

"Okay, guys," Charlie started as she handed Sam the quarter. "You two figure out who's going to sleep on the couch and floor." With that, she grabbed some clothes out of her bag and headed to the bathroom. After she changed into a comfy t-shirt and boxer shorts, she walked back into the hotel room to find Sam crashed out on the floor between the beds and Dean lying on the couch. He was too tired to even make a comment on her clothes as he watched her climb into the unoccupied Queen.

Xxxxxxxx

How could she have been so stupid? How had she trusted him? Missy Greene's thoughts crashed together in her head as she drove her car blindly down a dirt path through the woods. Pretty soon she couldn't even see where she was going so she shut off her car. She attempted to bush the recently fallen tears off her cheeks, but they were just replaced by new ones.

"How could I be so stupid to actually trust him?" she said aloud, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the steering wheel. "I should have known that he'd never stay with a girl like me. And then he went and cheated on me!" She started beating the steering wheel with fists until she heard a noise. She listened carefully and heard a roar. With shaking hands, she locked the doors and tried to start up her car.

"Come on, come on," she said through gritted teeth as the motor turned over but didn't start. She repeated the words over and over until she heard another roar. She started a silent prayer and glanced out of the front windshield. At midnight in the middle of a forest, a bloodcurdling scream filled the air.

Xxxxxxxx

Charlie was the first one up at seven the next morning. She yawned and stretched before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She started to stand up, only to find herself stepping on Sam.

"Ow! What the hell!" Sam grumbled.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry, Sam!" Charlie said as she sat back down on her bed.

He sat up slowly and rested his back on the nightstand between the beds. "It's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"I'm still sorry, Sam. I mean, I just stepped on you," she said, trying to hold back a laugh.

He looked up at her with a serious face that slowly turned into a smile. The two started laughing, which woke up Dean and Alex.

"Will you two quit laughing like a bunch of freakin' hyenas?" Dean asked grumpily from the couch.

Their laughter subsided and Charlie went to take a shower. About an hour later, all of them had showered and were deciding who was going to go to town and see if Alex's wendigo suggestion was correct.

"Dean and Charlie should go," Sam said.

"Why us?" Charlie complained.

"Because we were the one's who drove here and we're tired," Alex told his stubborn sister.

Charlie looked over at Dean who just shrugged. "Fine," she said exasperated. She put on her leather jacket and headed out the door. Dean glared at Sam before leaving behind her.

After the two left, Sam started up his computer and Alex lounged out on his bed. Both were silent for a few minutes before Alex decided to voice the latest thought bothering her.

"You know what I want to know," he started. "Why did the spirits in the Bleck place go after Dean and my sister? I thought the girls only went after people in love."

Sam glanced up at him. "You're honestly asking that question?" Alex nodded and Sam continued. "Maybe the spirits went after anyone who felt any type of love. Take attraction for example. Dean's attracted to any woman on Earth, and by how much he and Charlie fight, I can tell they both like each other."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "I get what you're saying, but aren't you the one Charlie kissed?"

Sam's head snapped up. "She told you?"

"Of course. She's my sister."

"And you're not going to kill me?"

"Why should I? She was just caught up in the moment, right?"

"Right."

Xxxxxxxx

"No, no, no," Charlie said once she and the oldest Winchester brother got outside. "We took your car last time. This time we take mine."

"Fine," Dean grumbled as he got into the passengers seat of Charlie's Camaro.

"It better be fine," she said as she started the car. The engine roared to life and she took off towards town. "I need some breakfast. Mind if we stop."

Dean shook his head. "I don't care, as long as I can get coffee."

"If coffee will stop you from being a grumpy ass, then I'll all for it," she replied as she pulled into a Dunkin' Donuts drive thru.

"Welcome to Dunkin' Donuts. How can I help you?" came a robot sounding voice through the speaker.

"Two extra large coffees and three chocolate glazed donuts," Charlie ordered. After getting her total, she pulled up to the window to pay a middle-aged Mexican lady and get her order. She handed Dean his coffee then started on her donuts as she headed towards the police station.

By the time they pulled up in front of the brick building, Charlie was finished with her donuts and half way done with her coffee. Dean was just sipping down the last of his as Charlie leaned over and opened up the glove box. She pulled out a wooden box and opened it to reveal quite an assortment of fake ID's.

"What about me?" Dean asked as he watched her pull out a police badge.

She snapped closed the box and put it away before answering. "I'll think of something," was all she said before stepping outside. Dean joined her and they both walked up to the bustling police building. Inside, people rushed around like the world was coming to an end. The two hunters made it to the sheriff's office after quite a few minutes just pushing through the crowd. The office door was open and a man in his mid-fifties sat behind a hard oak desk.

"Sheriff Greene?" Charlie asked tentatively as she and Dean entered the room.

The man looked up from his desk at the two young people. "I'm Robert Greene, and who are you?"

"Lisa Marshall, Private Investigator from Denver," Charlie said smoothly as the flashed him her badge. "I've come on account of the four recent missing persons."

"Of course. Come in," the sheriff said, ushering them to come inside. "Would you shut the door behind you?"

Charlie did as was requested, cutting off the rush of sound from the rest of the building. Sheriff Greene folded his hands on the desk in front of him before turning his attention back to the two people in front of him.

"I didn't think Denver would bother sending down anyone to investigate," he started. "But please, why don't you sit and we can try to figure some things out." As the two sat, the sheriff took notice of the man who hadn't spoken yet. Directing the question at Dean, he asked, "And who might you be, sir?"

"He's my husband, John. He came on the trip with me," Charlie said, nonchalantly hiding her left hand from view.

"I see," the older man said with a nod. "Now to the cases."

"Yes. My file stated that four people have gone missing in the past five days. They all disappeared while in the nearby forest and now have yet to be found," she said off of her memory. "What are you suggesting did this?"

Sheriff Greene reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out some photos. "My daughter disappeared last night around midnight. Her car was found abandoned and this is the only piece of evidence found in all the disappearances. It's being held at the moment, but these are some pictured taken of her car. Take a look," he said, holding out the pictures.

Charlie looked through them slowly. The first three showed the inside of the drivers' side door with slight splashes of blood and a broken window; the cracked front windshield; and the blood speckled front seat. Once she got to the forth and final picture, she knew she'd found what they were looking for. On the outside of the drivers' side door were four inhumanly large and deep gashes, nearly slicing the door into sections. She handed the pictures over to Dean before turning her attention back to Robert Greene.

"What are you're suspicions?" she asked.

"Grizzly attack. It's the only reasonable answer," the sheriff replied as Dean place the photos back on the desk.

"Of course," she said with a nod, although she knew that wasn't true. "Is there anyway I could see exactly where the car was found?"

"Certainly," he said, standing up and walking over to the door. Both Charlie and Dean stood as he called into the bustling hall, "Deputy Tape! In my office!" A moment later, a thin red haired man came in. "Investigator Marshall, this is Deputy Tape. He'll take you to the site."

"The site, sir?" the deputy asked.

"You know the one, Jimmy," the older man said, holding open his door.

"I'm sure we'll be able to sort this out, Sheriff," Charlie said warmly, shaking his hand before walking out. Dean came next and shook Sheriff Greene's offered hand.

"I sure hope that wife of your is right," he said.

Dean smiled slightly. "Yeah well, she's a kicker that on. I'm sure she'll figure it out."

The fake husband and wife followed Deputy Tape outside. He took a key out of his pocket before turning for them. "My squad car's just over there, so I suppose you can follow," he said tentatively.

"That's a wonderful idea," Charlie said with mock enthusiasm as she got into her car.

"Can I play this role more often?" Dean asked once they were both inside and following Jimmy's squad car.

"What role?"

"Being your husband."

Charlie turned towards him and rolled her eyes. "Why? So you can finally seduce me?"

"Hey, I never said that," Dean said defensively.

"You don't have to."

"Whatever," he mumbled. "Why are we following this kid anyway?"

"Because we need to find out where the wendigo's lair is. Usually they keep their prey alive for days so they won't put up much of a fight when the thing eats them."

"Well I can find one reason that I don't mind being stuck in a car with you, even if you seem to be pretty bitchy this morning."

"Would you please get your head out of the gutter?"

"And think about what?"

"I don't know. Maybe the case at hand?!"

"Hey, don't yell at me. I didn't get any sleep because that stupid couch kept poking me in the back," Dean said, leaning his head back on the seat and closing her eyes.

Charlie shook her head. "Men are lazy, no wonder they fall asleep after sex," she said as if reciting from her memory.

He opened his eyes and looked over at her. "And you know that how?"

"Number five on my mom's Top Tem Things About Men That Annoy Me list," Charlie replied before stopping the car. Deputy Tape's car was stopped a few feet ahead.

"Is this where they found her car?" Dean asked once the three stood outside on a dirt road not even more than a path.

Jimmy nodded. "Right here on the road, the keys still in the ignition."

"Thanks for bringing us to the site, Jimmy. Now why don't you go back to town and get the sheriff some donuts to feel better," Charlie instructed. The young deputy did as he was told, leaving Charlie and Dean in the middle of the forest.

"Couldn't we just finish the job now?" Dean asked.

"We probably could, but image how pissed Alex and Sam would be if we did," she told her, her eyes beginning to search around the area for any clue to where the wendigo's lair was.

"So what are we going to do if we find the lair?" Dean questioned as Charlie started walking toward the left side of the path. "Just leave whoever's in there to die?"

"I don't know," she told him. "Usually wendigo's do their thing at night, so we should attack during the day. If we find the lair then we should go back to the hotel and grab Sam and Ales. Does that sound reasonable enough?"

"Whatever you say. You're the wife," he said as they walked deeper into the forest.

"I can't tell if you mean to be teasing me with that or you just really want to get in my pants." She turned around to face him. "Wait, don't answer that."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Good."

They walked silently for a few minutes, their eyes scouring around for a cave or any place a wendigo would make its lair. Charlie was about to give up when dark shape loomed out of the thin treed forest. She walked closer to it and Dean followed, their boots crunching over the leaves on the forest floor. They stopped at the mouth of what looked like an abandoned mine.

"Think this is it?" Dean asked, his eyes falling on the many No Trespassing and Hazard signs put around the dark entrance.

Charlie sniffed the air and wrinkled up her nose. "It definitely smells like a cannibal's lair."

"We should head back to the hotel."

_A/N: Another chapter! I just had to do a whole chapter of Dean and Charlie arguing and this is what came of it! I hope you like it:D_


	8. Into The Woods

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Eight: Into The Woods**

Charlie and Dean jogged back to her car. The plan was to head back to the hotel, get all the supplies that Charlie didn't have in the Camaro–which did include Sam and Alex– then they would come back to deal with the wendigo. She made a good solid plan about how to go about killing it and saving as many people that were still alive while they made their way back to the dirt road.

"Call Sam," she said suddenly as they slowed their pace.

"What?"

"Call Alex, or Sam. I'm changing the plan," she told him as they stopped at her car.

"Who said you made all the plans?" Dean asked, crossing his arms.

She gave him a mischievous smile. "Oh I forgot that you haven't known me for long. I take charge and that's that."

"No, that not it. I'm not going to let you order me around."

"You say a lot of words Dean, but you never actually do them. If you don't want me to tell you what to do, why don't you stop me?" Charlie replied as she scanned through her phonebook. She hit send as soon as she came to Alex's number. Dean just glared at her and leaned on the hood of the car.

"Find anything?" Alex asked when he picked up.

"It's a wendigo for sure," she informed him. "Get some flare guns and I'll give you directions to where we are." After she told Alex how to get to the dirt road, she hung up only to find Dean putting his own phone up to his ear. Shaking her head, she opened the drivers seat door and knelt on the seat backwards, her boots hanging outside, as she pulled off the hand made top over what used to be the tiny back seat. Under the cover was a huge assortment of weapons to hunt the supernatural.

"You better be driving my car, Sammy," Dean said as soon as his brother answered.

"We're not even outside yet, but don't worry, I'll drive the Impala," Sam assured him.

"You bet your ass you will," Dean said before hanging up. Then he walked over to the drivers side of the car and found himself looking at Charlie's very…ahem…sexy backside. Even though she was inside of the cab, Charlie heard Dean come up behind her. Aggravated with him already, she quickly kicked out her right leg and felt her boot come in contact with his thigh.

"What the hell was that for?" Dean barked at her as she got out of the car.

"For staring at my ass," she told him matter-of-factly.

"You have no proof that I was," he protested.

She rolled her eyes. "Deny, deny, deny. Is that all I hear from you?"

It just so happens that Sam and Alex drove up in the Impala at just that moment. They got out and found Charlie and Dean staring daggers at each other. She went over to the Impala where Alex was pulling out some flare guns from the trunk.

"You okay?" he asked, even though he knew she wasn't.

"I'm spectacular," she said sarcastically, stepping back as Alex shut the trunk. Dean and Sam were standing at the Impala's front. As the twins walked up, Sam caught the angry vibe coming off of Charlie.

"You all right?" he asked.

"No. Your brother's a dick," she said before pushing passed the guys. The followed her silently through the trees right to the wendigo's lair.

"Do we have a plan?" Alex asked, eyeing all the signs posted around the lair's entrance.

"You and I should take out the wendigo while Sam and Dean get out anyone who's still alive," Charlie told him.

"Wait a second. I'm not just going to stand around and let you do all the work," Dean protested.

She glared at him. "Fine. You and I will take care of the wendigo while Alex and Sam help out the people. Sound fair?" she asked, holding a flare gun out to him.

"Fine," he said, snatching the rifle. The chain link fence was already pulled away from the entrance so the four slipped in without much noise. The tunnel they followed was dimly lit and soon branched off into two smaller ones.

"What now?" Sam asked quietly.

Charlie pulled a small flashlight out of her jacket and pointed it down both tunnels. "You and Alex go down this one," she instructed, waving the light down the tunnel to the right.

"How do you know?" Dean asked.

"The one on the right looks like it ends in a cave," she told him before turning to her brother and Sam. "You have a flare gun incase you bump into the son of a bitch?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "You sound like Mom," he said before turning on his own flashlight and starting down the tunnel, Sam following.

Without a word, Charlie and Dean walked down the left tunnel. She went first, flashlight in her left hand and a flare gun in her right. He walked right behind her, having to duck often so he wouldn't smash his head on the ceiling.

"I don't see why we couldn't have done this ourselves," Dean said after a few minutes.

"We could have, but I don't trust you," she said in a hushed voice.

"You don't trust me? What does that have to do with a hunt?"

"I don't trust you to watch my back."

"What the hell are you talking about? If you wanted to have Alex watch your back, then you should have gone with him. And, I made sure those spirits in Virginia didn't get you."

"No, you didn't. You protected me and Sam was the one who stopped the spirits."

"Does it matter? They would have gotten me first."

"Shh!" Charlie stopped suddenly and flicked off the flashlight. They quieted their breathing and listened. There it was, a raspy type of breathing that could only belong to a slumbering wendigo.

Xxxxxxxx

Sam and Alex walked slowly down the tunnel, listening for any signs of movement from the wendigo or any of its captives. Just as Charlie had said, the tunnel slowly widened and became a cave. It stunk with rotting flesh and human blood. Alex swung the light beam around the room to find five people hanging by their wrists from the ceilings. The two hunters walked to the people to check for pulses. Four were definitely dead, but when Sam checked the pulse on a pretty red haired woman she had a strong one. Putting a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't scream, Sam shook her awake. Her eyes grew wide at first, but she didn't struggle. Alex came over as Sam took his hand away from her mouth.

"Who are you?" she asked immediately in a hoarse voice.

"I'm Sam and this is Alex," the youngest Winchester told her as Alex cut at the ropes binding her hands. "We're here to get you out of this place."

"What about that…that _thing?_ It's going to eat me! I watched it cut up and eat those other people!" she squeaked as she rubbed her now free wrists and looked around like a cornered animal.

"It's okay. Just calm down. What's your name?"

"Missy. But what about that thing?"

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Sam assured her just as a roar followed by a gun blast and a horrible screaming filled the small cave.

"Oh god," Missy said in a shaky voice, turning to bury her face in one of her rescuers' shirts, who just happened to be Alex. He did his best to calm her, but dealing with hysterical women wasn't his specialty.

"We should get out of here," Sam said. "Missy, can you walk?"

She nodded. "I think so."

"Okay, come on."

Missy wasn't letting go of Alex so Sam took the flashlight and led them out of the cave. He started getting worried when they got outside and hadn't seen Dean or Charlie. Missy sat down on the ground taking in clean air as Alex and Sam started to make a plan to go back inside and find the other two hunters. Just as Sam was about to head back in, Dean and Charlie came out of the dark cave, looking unhurt.

"Stupid son of a bitch shot it and the thing fell right across the tunnel!" Charlie exclaimed.

"How was I supposed to know that it would fall like that?" Dean shot back.

"Uh guys. I think we have bigger issues," Sam told them before gesturing to Missy, who was silently rocking herself back and forth, her knees brought up to under her chin.

Xxxxxxxx

After Lisa Marshall and her husband, John –a.k.a. Charlie and Dean– took Missy back to the police station and got everything sorted out, the four hunters headed over to the nearest bar. Charlie made a beeline to the line of stools that stood in front of the bar as soon as they got there.

"What can I get ya?" the middle aged Mexican bartender asked her.

"Just a beer," she ordered. She really didn't care exactly what she got; her thoughts were on Dean anyway. It really hadn't been his fault when the wendigo fell across their path. Hell, she was just about to shoot it as well, so it would have fallen the same way.

A rather attractive dark haired man sat down on the stool next to her. "Now what's a pretty girl like you doing out alone?" he asked.

She was about to say she wasn't alone, but once again thoughts about something annoying that Dean had done filled her head. "Oh, I just needed to get out for a while."

"Got any plans for later?"

"Not really," she said, just before realizing what exactly he had just asked her.

"Why don't we go back to my place then?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"No? Ah, come on."

"You alright, Charlie?" Dean asked, coming up behind her. Never had she been happier to hear his voice. The other guy glared at Dean as he got up and walked way. Dean sat in the recently vacated seat.

"Thanks," Charlie said, glancing over at him.

"No problem. So does that mean that I can go back to being your husband again?" he asked her with a slight smirk.

"Maybe next gig," she said with a small smile. "Where's Alex and Sam?"

"Hustling pool. Sammy sucks, but Alex's not half bad."

"So I can splurge a little? Wanna shot?" She didn't wait for his answer and ordered two shots of whiskey. "How about a toast to our brothers?" she suggested, picking up her glass.

Dean shrugged. "Sure." A slight tap of their glasses and they downed the shots. Charlie set down her glass and looked over at Dean. He looked back at her and she got an overwhelming urge to just throw herself at him and start making out. Hoping to god it was the whiskey talking, she stood up.

"I'm going to see how much Alex and Sam have won so far," she told him before walking over to the pool table near the back of the room. Alex and Sam were sitting at one of the tables next to the pool table, sipping their beers. "How much you get?"

"A hundred bucks," Alex told her.

She nodded. "Nice. Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam said, looking up from his beer.

"Can you bring Dean over here for me?"

Sam did as he was asked and the four of them settled down around the small table.

"We should take a break," Charlie started.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "A break from…?"

"Hunting. Alex and I usually take a break from it twice a year."

"And what would we do with the spare time?"

"Relax. Be _somewhat_ normal."

Sam couldn't help smiling. "Sounds good to me."

Dean looked from his brother's face to Alex and finally Charlie. All of them already looked set on the idea. "Oh what the hell, I could use a break." With that, the four simultaneously took a sip of their beers.

_A/N: sorry for the long wait!!! I was going to put this up last night but then I got asked over a friend's house and so I figured I'd do it tonight. Anyways, how did you like it? What do you think of the whole Charlie/Dean thing going on? Reviews make me HAPPY!_


	9. Seen It Coming

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Nine: Seen It Coming**

Charlie kept her eyes on the black asphalt and Impala in front of her. Alex sat shotgun, laptop resting on his knees and headphones in his ears. He was supposedly doing some weird game online, but Charlie was sure that he was watching porn. Entirely bored, even with Greenday pouring through the speakers, she couldn't stand it anymore. She picked up her cell phone, dialed a number and held it up to her ear, tapping her tongue ring against her teeth as it rang.

"Hello?" Dean's voice came through the receiver.

"Hey."

"Charlie?"

"Yup. I'm bored outta my mind."

"Why don't you talk to Alex?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "He's watching porn."

"Lucky guy," Dean muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Why didn't you call Sam?"

"Look at your brother, Dean."

Dean did as he was told. "Okay, so he's sleeping."

"I kind of guessed."

"And?"

"I just needed someone to talk to before I ripped my hair out."

"Okay, so talk."

"Here's the pressing question: where are we going?"

"West," Dean replied, looking at the Camaro in his rearview mirror.

"I know that, smart-ass. I think we should go to Salt Lake City."

"In Utah? Why?"

"Because we're already going west and it's a nice city."

"Fine. Salt Lake City it is."

There was a few moments pause in which Charlie pushed away the unwanted butterflies in her stomach. Hoping it was just something she ate, she said, "You know something surprising, Dean?"

"I know a lot of surprising things," Dean said with a smirk.

"Whatever. I just wanted to point out that we just had a civil conversation and we didn't argue."

"Uh-huh. Now that's scary."

Charlie couldn't help but laugh, which sent a warm feeling through him. Trying to ignore it, he spoke. "So Miss. No-sex-before-marriage, you have any boyfriends?"

"Do you have to call me that?"

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah. I'm not a nun."

"Hey, I was just asking!"

"Okay. To tell you the truth, my last boyfriend ended up being possessed and I had to kill him."

Dean wasn't sure what to say. His hand tightened on his phone and he glanced over at Sam. "Charlie, I'm sorry," he said finally.

"I've had three years to get over it. It's fine."

"I've never had to kill any of my girls, but my last girlfriend thought I was a freak."

"Did she not know you were a hunter?"

"No. She didn't, and when I did tell her, she said that I was making it up so I could break up with her."

"But?" Charlie said quietly.

"But, I wasn't lying and it killed me that she didn't believe me."

"That's rough. I'm…" she started to say 'I'm sorry' but decided against it. "Is that why you're more of a one night guy?"

"Pretty much."

There was another pause, which was broken by Charlie once again. "Call me a bitch," she instructed.

"What?"

"We're having another civil conversation. Now we fight."

Dean chuckled. "You like fighting that much?"

"Sure."

"How about we skip the fighting and go back to driving?"

"Okay," Charlie said before hanging up. She couldn't help but want to fight her growing attraction to Dean Winchester. Like he said, one-night stands are more his thing. She was someone who steered away from any type of relationship because she'd been hurt far too many times for her like. But there was something about him, and between the two of them, that she couldn't just ignore.

In the Impala, Dean shut his phone and looked over at Sam, who was still sleeping. Why the hell had he told Charlie about Cassie? Not even Sam or his dad knew about her. And here he comes and tells Charlie, even thought he's hardly known her a week. What was he thinking? Or maybe that was it; he didn't think and got his emotions in the way. But what kind of emotions were they anyway? Sure Dean was attracted to Charlie physically of course, but there was something else. He liked just talking to her. Maybe it was the fact that she accepted him for who he was, and didn't care how he lived or grew up. Whatever it was, it was different then anything he'd felt before. Maybe that's why he always fought with her and tried to ignore the face that he really did like her.

Xxxxxxxx

Sam couldn't take the silence anymore and he was pretty sure Alex was sick of it too. Dean and Charlie hadn't said a word except their orders ever since the four hunters had sat down at a small down near the Colorado/Utah border.

"What's up with you two?" Sam asked, looking at his brother next to him and Charlie across the table.

Dean just raised his eyebrows and Charlie spoke for both of them. "What do you mean?"

"You guys haven't said a word ever since we stopped," Alex told them.

Dean shrugged as Charlie tapped her teeth with her tongue ring. "So? We don't feel like talking. You have a problem with that?" she asked.

Both of the other boys shrugged as a well-endowed waitress brought out their burgers and fries. She gave Dean a sweet smile, making Charlie want to call her a million different trashy words. He returned the smile, although not with as much enthusiasm as usual.

"How about we talk about anything but me and Dean?" Charlie suggested.

"Yeah. Like where exactly are we going?" Alex inquired.

"Salt Lake City," Dean and Charlie said in unison.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Okay. And why's that?"

"It's a nice city," Dean said, getting a kick under the table by Charlie. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"I'm the one who told you that!" Charlie replied, crossing her arms.

"So?"

She just shook her head. Her and Dean's civil war was back. Sometimes she welcomed it and sometimes she wished Dean could be as real around her as he'd been over the phone. She was pretty sure it had something to do with the presence of other people though, namely Sam and Alex.

Xxxxxxxx

That night, the four stopped at a small town a few hours into Utah. They got another room with just two beds. This time, Sam and Dean got the beds, Charlie crashed on the couch, and Alex made his bed on the floor in front of the window facing the parking lot. It was a nice hotel, although their room's color scheme was teal and burgundy; not so charming together.

The next day, everyone woke up later than usual. Dean and Alex went to check out the game room that was on the hotel map, Charlie went out for a leisurely walk through town, and Sam stayed in the hotel, happy for some time alone. He thought about Jess and how he could have saved her. He thought of his dad and the nightmares that just keep on getting worse. He thought of the demon that had entered and destroyed his life, and how good it would be to finally know it could never harm anyone again. It was easier said than done, as neither Sam nor Dean knew how to destroy the thing and John was never around to help.

Charlie decided that the town was pretty nice, but she really couldn't wait to get to Salt Lake City. It had been a few years since she'd been, and was truly looking forward to spending time in her favorite city. Her thoughts on the lovely city, she walked into the hotel room just as Sam walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. It was hard to tell who was more shocked. During their few nights stay with each other, the four hunters had made sure to get completely ready in the bathroom before coming out.

"Um…" Charlie searched for words that she knew were in her head as she started at Sam and namely his gorgeous chest. She was convinced that it was fine as hell in every way as she tried to strongly make her mind think of anything else. The words 'Sam, I'm surprised you don't get more girls' came into her head, but she knew that she couldn't say that.

"I thought everyone was out," Sam said finally, clutching the towel around his waist.

"I…I just got back," Charlie stumbled. "Maybe I should check on Dean and Alex?"

Not waiting for an answer, she hurried over to the office with the joining game room. An elderly man sat behind the desk, flipping through a hunting magazine. He looked up as she walked in and smiled a toothless grin.

"What can I do for you, pumpkin?" he asked in a homely voice.

Charlie almost laughed aloud. She'd never been called pumpkin before. Instead, she smiled and put a hand on the door marked 'GAMEROOM' in big blocky letters. "I'm just here looking for some friends," was all she said before pushing open the door and slipping inside. It was dimly lit and the room had two foosball tables, one ping-pong table, a pinball machine, and lastly the pool table.

"Is Sam okay?" Dean asked as she approached them, his eyes on the table as Alex set up a shot.

She blushed at the thought of Sam, but answered without falter, "He's fine. We should head to Salt Lake as soon as we can. We'll make it there today."

Dean looked over at her. Instead of her standard tank tops, jeans and Harley Davidson boots, she wore a baby blue tight fitting t-shirt, a pair of those fuzzy loose pants, sneakers and her hair was in a ponytail. He had to admit that she would look good in anything, but it was somewhat nice to see her in something other than the strict hunter wardrobe. It almost made him ignore the fact that she was telling him what to do, once again. "You in charge again?" he asked with a smirk, as Alex made in one of the three stripes left, but scratched the cue ball in the process.

"It was my idea," she replied, watching him lean over to make a shot. He only had to make the one and the eight ball and the oldest Winchester would win.

He smirked. "Fair enough. Why Salt Lake City in the first place?"

She crossed her arms as he made the one and called the right corner pocket for the eight ball and made that in as well. He straightened his back and looked over the table at her. "It's my favorite city," she told him truthfully.

Dean was about to remark when the game room door opened and the last wheel of their party appeared, this time fully dressed. "There you are, Sammy. I just beat your nerd friend's ass," Dean boasted.

"That's great, Dean," Sam said sarcastically before turning to the girl in the room. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Charlie?"

Knowing she should have expected this, Charlie made her way over to the door on the opposite side of the room. It lead to the indoor swimming pool and Sam pulled it securely shut behind him before turning to face her.

"We always find ourselves in awkward positions huh, Sam?" she asked with a hint of a smile.

He looked down at the floor than back at her with a slight smiled of his own. "I think it's a curse."

"I think it's a curse to test our friendship, Sam," Charlie said, breaking out in a grin.

He smiled back and pulled her into a friendly hug. She didn't mind, as it had been a while since anyone had just hugged her because they cared and worried about her. It was nice to feel like you weren't alone in this world. And Charlie definitely knew how it felt to be alone.

Xxxxxxxx

Charlie, Alex and Sam sat around a small round table in a crowded bar in Salt Lake City. The three were laughing over the story Charlie was telling. It was about her first time to the city when she and Alex had finally decided to start hunting full time. It was a rather humorous story, one that Charlie loved to tell. Dean missed out on her narrative with a pretty, curly haired brunette. She wasn't a shy girl, although Dean had to admit that sometimes those were the best, but she was a forward girl who gave all the right signals.

The four had arrived in town at around six that day. They had gotten a hotel room for a week before grabbing some dinner and heading to a bar. It was nice to be able to relax and not have to worry about a job they were on, or if someone was getting killed by the supernatural thing that they should be hunting. No, tonight they were going to be a bunch of normal twenty-somethings and have a nice time.

Charlie finished her tale and went quiet, letting the two boys mull it over, even though Alex knew it all as he had been there. She traced the tattoo on her wrist with her index finger and looked up at the bar to find Dean flirting with a pretty brunette. Her jaw clenched as she watched the girl laugh over something Dean said and grip onto his arm. Alex and Sam noticed her change in attitude and followed her eyes to the scene of Dean pulling the girl outside by the hand, a sure sign that they'd hook up. Not knowing what came over her, Charlie jumped up from her seat, nearly knocking it down. She pushed through the people buying drinks at the bar to the woman's room. Glad that no one else was in the room, she put both hands on either side of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were slowly beginning to get glossy, and she felt like she was about to break down. Turning her gaze from the mirror, she looked at the metal drain in the sink.

"Get a hold of yourself, Charlie. He's-he's just a guy and you're just a girl. Forget about him." A tear that had made it's way down her cheek fell into the sink. She slowly stood up straight and wiped away a few more tears cascading down her face. "God, let this be PMS," she told herself as she walked towards the door. Glad that the tears hadn't made her eyes too puffy, she walked out of the bathroom to face Alex and Sam. They were standing right in front of the door.

"Are you okay, Charlie?" Sam asked, looking truly worried about her.

She looked at them both for a full minute before answering. "I need to get out of here."

Neither of them complained. Sam paid their tab on the way out. Once outside, they realized that since Dean took his Impala, the three of them would have to fit into Charlie's two-seated Camaro. She started laughing in spite of the horrible feeling she had inside. Fishing her car key out of her jeans, Charlie handed it to Alex.

"You drive," she instructed before turning to Sam. "I'm sorry to say that another of our awkward moments is coming up, Sam."

"I already know," he said in a voice between humor and exasperation. He got into the passenger's seat and looked up at Charlie who was still standing outside. Giving him a smile, she tried to sit on his lap without too much difficulty, which of course didn't happen. Finally, she was sitting on Sam's right leg, her head half leaning on the window and Sam's shoulder.

"Don't we look cute, Alex?" she asked her brother.

Alex took his eyes off the road to look at his sister and Sam, and just shook his head. "Uh…sure."

Charlie laughed and Sam decided to talk. "I have to say that I really appreciate you not killing me, Alex," he said.

Alex shrugged. "You're a good guy, Sam. I've never hurt a good guy."

"That makes me feel so much better," Sam replied in a half-sarcastic, half-true voice. Charlie couldn't help but smile at his remark.

A few minutes later, they were at the hotel. Alex sat himself in front of his computer to check his email. Charlie sat on the end of one of the beds, absentmindedly tapping her teeth with her tongue ring. Sam sat on the other bed looking entirely bored.

"How'd you know Dean wouldn't be here?" he asked no on in particular.

"We didn't, now did we?" Charlie answered. "But, if his Impala had been here, then we just would have gone somewhere else." The felling she had gotten at the bar came back and this time she knew that it was a mixture of being pissed off and jealous. The room felt like it was closing in on her and she stood up. "Want to take a walk, Sam?" she asked.

With a shrug and small smile, Sam got up and followed her outside. The temperature was settled somewhere between cooler and slightly warm, which was the perfect nighttime temperature. The walked in silence for a few minutes, Sam's hands shoved in his front pockets and Charlie's in her back pockets.

"Why me?" he asked suddenly.

"'Why me' what?"

"Why do you always want to…to do things with me?"

She smiled. "Alex already knows me too well. Dean…is complicated. But you, Sam. You listen to me and don't judge me but what I say." He smiled down at her and she looked up at him. "Not to mention that you're kinda cute."

"Well, that's good to know."

She nodded. They walked in silence for a little while longer, then Sam couldn't stand it. He had to ask her something that had bothering him for days. "What's up with you and Dean?"

Charlie looked down at her feet, a blush creeping over her cheeks. "Dean is…" she started, before changing her approach to the subject. "To be honest Sam, I really like your brother. He's completely annoying and cocky, but he's fun to be around. I swear that I haven't had as much fun as in this past week in a long time."

"You want me to be honest too?" Sam asked. "Me neither."

"What?" she looked up at him.

"I've had a fun past week and I'm pretty sure Dean has too. I've never seen him have such a good time until we met you."

"Really?" She just had to ask, even though she was sure that Sam wouldn't lie about something like that.

"Absolutely."

"And yet, he's off right now, indulging himself with some cute little brunette."

"Yeah well, he's not the relationship type."

"Neither am I. I've steered clear of them the past few year, I guess it would be hard to get back into one."

Sam nodded in understanding before it suddenly felt like his head was splitting open. He squeezed his eyes shut, sinking to his knees. He could hear Charlie calling his name and looked up at her. She was there for a second before the scene changed.

_He was rushing toward an empty warehouse. There was a half open door on the east-side wall, which was painted bright red and covered in graffiti. He pulled open the door and started up the metal staircase. It was thin and seemed to be between the walls of some main rooms. Halfway up, he heard voices. Seeing a small hole in the wall, he peered through it. Dean, with a large bruise appearing on his left cheekbone, was tied up to a column in the middle of the room._

_"Dean, Dean, Dean." A woman's voice came from somewhere in the room. "This was too easy. All you need is a pretty girl who'll flirt with you and off you go to drag her to a hotel."_

_"What the hell do you want from me?" Dean yelled._

_"You? Nothing, but Sammy–"_

_"Don't call him that!"_

_She continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Sammy is the one I want. Once I have him, I will have appeased my Lord and maybe then I can worth something to him."_

_"Who the hell is your fucking Lord? I swear to god, I'll kill the son of a bitch if he hurts my brother."_

_In one quick movement, a dark figure positioned itself in front of the peephole, blocking Dean from sight._

_"You will never even make it out of this room, Dean," the voice (seemingly belonging to the figure) said before moving out of sight again. A moment later it chanted some words in Latin and Dean let out a cry of pain as a long line of slashes appeared on his chest. Dean continued getting cut up by the invisible force, his cries mixed with a woman's harsh laughter._

_**A/N: another chapter! This is my favorite so far, so I hope you like it! It's really long (the longest chapter I've written EVER) and I'm proud of it:D And yes, the italic is Sammy's vision, if you're wondering. And I'm adding a bit of Charlie/Dean since I know some of my reviews enjoy it and I know I do:D Hope the romance part isn't too cheesy, but I'm trying to make sure it isn't too chickflick-ish. Hope you like! And reviews are hugged and loved like a lost puppy!!!!!!!!!!!!**_


	10. A Dose of Reality

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you _don't_ recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Ten: A Dose of Reality**

"Sam?" Charlie tried again. Nothing. Sam had been staring off seemingly right through her for the past minute. "Sam!"

This time something did happen. He blinked, squeezed his eyes shut, opened them and blinked some more. He saw a very worried looking Charlie in front of him, but could only think of what he had seen. "Dean," he said under his breath as he slowly got up.

Charlie stood up next to him and put a hand on his arm. "Sam? What just happened? Are you okay?"

Sam shook his head. "No. We have to go." With that, he started jogging off in the direction of the hotel.

Charlie had a hard time keeping up with his long strides, but when she got up next to him, she gripped his arm and forced him to stop. "Sam, what happened?"

"I…I had a vision."

"Vision? Like premonition vision or––"

"I don't know. But yeah, I guess it was. I saw…" he stopped short.

"Sam what did you see?" Charlie asked in a gentle voice.

"I saw Dean die," he said, looking down at her.

A lump formed in her throat as his words sunk in. "Tell me what you saw."

He did, leaving out some of the less important details. He finished telling about the ending and looked at Charlie, who had an unrecognizable expression on her face. "Are you okay?" he asked.

With a small shake of her head, she grabbed Sam's hand and started off towards the hotel. "You think that's happening now?" she asked as the hotel came into view.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, probably."

With a curt nod, she walked to the drivers' side of her car, pulled out her key and unlocked the door. Sam hurried over to the other side and got in as soon as she opened the door. She turned down the System of a Down coming through the speakers before she took off.

"You think that bitch in your vision was the girl from the bar?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "I'm pretty sure."

"Damn it," Charlie hissed, her hands gripping the steering wheel. "I knew something was shaky about that fucking tramp."

He raised his eyebrows at what she said as she pulled up at a Conoco gas station, telling him to go inside and ask directions to the warehouse he saw. He didn't need to be told twice. He jumped out of the Camaro and headed inside.

A lady in her mid-fifties was behind the counter and plastered on a big smile as Sam walked up. "What can I getcha, honey?" she asked.

"Directions, actually. Have you lived here long?" he asked.

"All my life. What are ya lookin' for?"

"It's an abandoned warehouse," he started.

She chuckled. "Oh sweetie, there's a million around here."

Sam nodded. "I'm looking for one with a whole outside wall painted bright red."

"Oh, that's the old shoe factory."

"You know where it is?"

"Sure," she said with a nod. "Just go to the next light, turn left and it's a few blocks down."

"Alright. Thanks!" he called over his shoulder as he ran outside. Charlie was singing along to Weezer's 'Beverly Hills' and tapping impatiently on the steering wheel.

"Did you find it?" she asked immediately as he closed the door.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." With that, she took off; glad the streets were empty as she had the pedal to the floor. They got to the warehouse in a matter of one or two minutes and Charlie shut off the car. She pulled off her jacket and opened the cover over the backseat. She threw her jacket inside and pulled out two handguns. She gave one to Sam before they both got out.

"Hey Charlie, can I ask you something?" Sam asked as he and Charlie walked towards the same door that Sam had seen in his vision.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"How much do you really like my brother? Because you seemed really pissed when we left the bar."

She stopped to look at him. "If I believed in love at first sight, then I'd have to go with that."

Sam started at her back as she pulled open the door and slipped inside, turning on a flashlight that she had also gotten out of her car. He left the door open and followed her inside, the gun clutched in his hand. A wave a déjà vu came over him about halfway up and he reached for her arm. She stopped at his touch and turned her attention to the wall where she knew Dean was behind.

"Do we know what does the," she swallowed, "killing?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know."

"Shit! I bet Alex would know."

"I don't think we'll have time to ask," he said quickly, turning his attention to the conversation on the other side of the wall.

"You? Nothing, but Sammy––"

"Don't call him that."

"Sammy is the one I want. Once I have him, I will have appeased my Lord and maybe then I can be worth something to him."

Knowing what would happen next, Sam took a step back and kicked the wall, which swung open like a door. Dean was tied up just like in the vision, and the girl who had spoken was in fact the girl from the bar.

"Ah Sam. Right on cue," she said as Sam and Charlie entered the room with their guns raised. "Tut, tut, Sammy. Don't you know it's not nice to threaten girls?"

"Take me and let my brother go," Sam demanded.

"No, I don't think so. I was planning on having some fun with him," she said with a pure evil grin.

The next few scenes happened in a matter of a couple of minutes. Not being able to stand it anymore, Charlie shot the girl in the stomach.

"You just fucking shot me," she screeched, moving towards Charlie. When she moved, Charlie saw a table with candles, goblets and lord knows what else on it.

"Sam the alter!" she yelled before the girl tackled her to the floor, there was a smash as Sam flipped over the alter and then some Latin words were spoken. There was an agonized cry as the invisible killer slashed Dean across the face and chest. Then it cut across Charlie's left shoulder. She made a lunge for the girl's neck, where a chain with an odd pendent hung. In one swift movement, Charlie pulled the necklace off the girl's neck and crushed it under her hand. The girl stepped back as the invisible killer came after her. She started running backwards and fell out through the glass window. As Sam stared out the window at the girl's broken form below, Charlie crawled over to Dean.

"Dean," she said quietly. He let out a groan and leaned his head back on the column he was tied too. Blood from the single slash above his left eye was flowing steadily down his face. She brought her right hand up to his face and wiped the blood away as best she could. "Are you okay?"

He opened his previously closed eyes to look at her. "I would be better if I hadn't just gotten cut up by an invisible attacker."

She couldn't help but smile at his remark. And if the situation hadn't been so dire, she would have kissed him.

"Hey Charlie? I know you're happy to see me and all, I mean what girl wouldn't, but do you mind untying me?" Dean asked, although he was enjoying her closeness and the feel of her hand on his face.

"Oh right," she mumbled as she went behind him to untie his hands. She helped him up before remembering Sam. She turned to find him still staring out the window. "Come on, Sam. Let's go," she called. It got his attention and he walked over to the two of them.

"This all you could scrounge up for a search and rescue, Sammy?" Dean asked as the three made their way down the stairs.

"We didn't have time to get Alex, and he would never shoot a girl anyways," Charlie replied.

"Yeah, that wouldn't have helped any," Dean said as they came to the door and walked outside. The moon had come out from behind a sky full of clouds and shone down on them, the Camaro parked by the door and the Impala that was beside the building, previously hidden by shadows.

"Charlie, will you be able to drive?" Sam asked, just noticing her bleeding shoulder.

"Yeah," she assured him. "It's not a very deep cut and the hospital isn't that far away."

"You sure? 'Cause we could take the Impala," he started.

"Come on, Sammy. She said she's fine," Dean said, walking towards his car.

"It's okay. You can follow me," she said walking to the drivers' side of her car.

As her door shut, Sam walked over to the Impala where Dean was already sitting shotgun. Sam opened the drivers' side door and got in. "You're actually going to let me drive?" he asked.

"My head's killing, Sam. Just drive," Dean replied, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as the familiar purr of the motor started. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I had a vision," Sam told him.

"Vision?"

"Yeah, like the one's I have when I'm asleep. But this one was just now. It doesn't make sense."

"I'd worry more about what cut me up and what the hell that girl wanted, Sam. If you have more visions when you're awake, then we should worry about it," Dean replied.

Sam glanced over at him. Dean was looked out of half-closed eyes at the taillights of Charlie's Camaro. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah," Dean grunted.

"You know Charlie really cares about you right?"

"No I didn't," Dean said sarcastically. Sam didn't answer, so he opened his eyes and glanced over. "Why? What did she say?"

"She didn't have to say anything, Dean," Sam told him. "When you left with whoever the hell that was––"

"Lisa," Dean interrupted.

"Whatever. When you left the bar with her, Charlie ran into the bathroom and I think she was crying."

Dean looked at Sam, who's sincere expression told that he wasn't lying. "And you're telling me this because?"

"Because I know you like her and just don't screw her over. She doesn't deserve it."

Xxxxxxxx

Charlie and Dean were taken up to the third floor, while Sam waited for them on the first. He knew that their wounds weren't life threatening so he didn't have to worry. Besides, he was too busy worrying about his vision.

Charlie was sitting on a chair outside the room Dean was in. She had been right about her cut not being deep, so it had just been cleaned and bound. Dean had been in the room for a long time and she was trying to keep down the feeling that something went wrong. She stood up quickly when the door opened and Dean walked into the hall, looking rather exhausted.

"Hey," he said, looking surprised to see her.

"How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, sending a jolt of pain through him. He put a hand on the wall to steady himself. "Besides the fact that I've got a whole load of stitches in my chest, I ruined my favorite shirt and I got beaten up by an invisible killer, I'm okay."

She couldn't help but smile. "Maybe this will make you think twice before bringing some random girl home, huh?"

"Yeah maybe," he said, looking right into her eyes.

His gaze was unsettling in a good way, and she looked down at her boots. "I'm just glad that you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Dean asked, taking a step closer to her.

"Didn't Sam tell you about his vision?"

"Yeah, that he watched me get cut up. What else did he see?"

"Dean, he saw you die." She couldn't take it anymore. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she threw her arms around him.

He was taken aback about what she said and even more so when she hugged him. He liked the way her body fit against his and he put his arms around her waist. The sound of footsteps sounded in the hall and the two jumped apart like startled rabbits just as Sam came around the corner.

"I was waiting downstairs forever. How are you guys feeling?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna have one helluva scar from this thing," was all Dean said as he started walking the same way from which Sam had come. Charlie and Sam followed and the three drove back to the hotel in the same formation as they had to the hospital. Charlie grabbed her jacket from her 'weapons holder' backseat before getting out and following the Winchester's inside.

Alex looked up form his computer as they came in. One look at Dean's blood drenched shirt, Charlie's bandaged shoulder and Sam's pained expression told him that something major had happened. "What did I miss?" he asked.

_A/N: so another chapter :D hope it lives up to everyone's expectations. I know it's a lot like 'Shadow' with Meg, and that is where I got the idea. But it's not exactly the same, and I'm sure if you have questions, they'll be answered in later chapters! Sorry for the long wait!_


	11. Complications

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Eleven: Complications**

Two days later, Charlie and Dean were healing up nicely and Sam made the conclusion that his visions were connected to the demon that had killed Mary and Jess. Dean protested, saying that until they found some sort of proof, that Sam's visions were probably just some freak thing. Alex agreed with Sam, saying that since he had dreams about Jess's death before it happened and visions about the girl at the warehouse, he guessed the 'Lord' the seemingly possessed girl at the warehouse was the demon. Charlie wasn't sure who to believe though Sam and her brother's assumptions seemed reasonable enough.

It was around seven in the morning on the third day after the incident at the warehouse. Alex and Sam were out trying to find some breakfast, leaving Charlie and Dean at the hotel. Dean was on Sam's laptop, searching for another hunt.

"How can you stand this city?" he asked suddenly, looking over at Charlie who was sitting on one of the beds.

"Geez, one little run in with a demon girl and you hate the whole place," she shot back, getting up and sitting at the table with him. "Find anything yet?"

He shrugged. "Not anything close." He leaned back in his chair, resting both his arms on either side of the laptop.

"How far is the closest one?" Charlie asked.

"Arkansas."

She gave a slight nod then looked down at the table. Not sure what possessed her to do so, she turned Dean's right hand palm up and gently traced the lines on it with her fingertips. He watched her silently for a while, not wanting to break the truthfully peacefull feeling that had come over them.

"Charlie," he said quietly after a while.

"Yeah?" she said, looking up.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, it just...it makes me relax. I'm sorry," she said beginning to pull her hand away.

He stopped her from moving away by closing his hand around hers. She looked right into his eyes as he leaned forward to kiss her. Just as he did, the door handle turned and Sam and Alex walked in. Sam looked from Charlie, who was inspecting her fingernails, to his brother, who had his right hand hovering over the touchpad, his eyes scanning a news article pulled up on the screen. Ignoring the presence of a tense, uncomfortable vibe, he held up the white bag in his hand.

"We found food," he said, walking over to the table and putting down the bag.

"Coffee," Dean said in a gruff voice. Rolling his eyes, Sam grabbed a cup out of the tray Alex was holding and handed it to Dean.

"I got you a bagel, and a bunch of donuts," Sam told Charlie.

"Hey I might eat a lot, but I don't need a dozen donuts," Charlie said in a teasing voice.

"Are you sure?" Sam replied with a grin, fishing a wrapped bagel out of the bag.

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you, Sam," Charlie said, taking the food and coffee being held out to her.

"Find anything?" Alex asked, pulling up a chair next to Dean.

"Nah. Not unless you want to go to Arkansas," Dean replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Nothing closer?" Sam questioned, taking a donut and his coffee before sitting on the edge of the bed closest to the other hunters.

Dean shook his head. "Nothing, man. I checked everything I could find."

Sam was about to reply when a shooting pain filled his head. He dropped the coffee and donut in his hands as he fell to his knees, holding his head. "It's happening again," he managed to gasp out just as his head felt like it was cut in two. He heard Dean and Charlie calling his name, but their voices were slowly drowned out.

_A pretty red headed woman hummed softly to herself as she leaned into her shower and turned on the water. Still humming a toneless tune to herself, she got undressed as the room filled with steam. Walking back over to the shower, she checked the water before stepping inside. Mind you this is NOT R rated, just imagine her from the shoulders up...gosh you people with dirty minds D She let the water fall over her shoulders, enjoying the way the warm water soothed her aching muscles. She was about to pour some shampoo into her hand when the knob on the shower turned all the way to hot._

_"Ouch!" she exclaimed, trying to turn to the knob. It wouldn't budge and the firey hot water was not leaving huge red blotches on her skin. In a panic she tried to pull back the curtain, but it was stuck. She pulled with all her might and the curtain rod came smashing down. It hit her on the side of the face, making her loose her balance and fall out of the bathtub, smashing her head on the tile floor. Blood ran from her head as words slowly appeared on the foggy mirror, as if someone was writing them. Marion Ledger._

"Sam! Sammy!" Dean tried again, shaking his brother. Sam blinked a few times, the hotel room slowly coming into focus.

"Marion Ledger," was all he said.

Xxxxxxxx

"Tell me what you saw again," Charlie told Sam for the millionth time that day. Sam and Dean were driving in the Impala with Charlie and Alex following in the Camaro. Right after Sam told them what he'd seen in his vision, Alex had done a police scan on Marion Ledger and found her in Moab, Utah, about five hours away in the south.

Sam sighed. "What good would it do?"

"I'm just trying to find a connection between all the things you've seen," she said.

"You want a connection? Every vision I've had has been when somone dies!" His tone was a bit harsher than he had wanted and he immediately felt bad. "Charlie, I'm--"

"No, Sam. Don't apologize. I have no idea what you're going through and I should just stop interigating you."

"No, it's good to know someone cares."

Charlie couldn't help smiling. "Well, I do. And I'm sure Dean does too."

Sam glanced over at Dean, who's eyes were on the road. "I'm sure."

"Don't sound so sarcastic, Sam."

He chuckled. "I was trying my hardest."

She laughed as well. "I could tell. But seriously, Sam. Don't these visions scare you?"

"Yeah, they do, but what can I do? I can't stop them."

"I wish I could find a way to help."

"Lets just hope we get to Marion before she dies."

Xxxxxxxx

At around one-thirty in the afternoon, two classic cars pulled up in front of the Moad police station. The four inhabitants of the cars got out and met between the two.

"Me and Sam will go and find out Marion's address," Charlie instructed.

"Can't I do anything with my brother?" Dean asked as she went to get out her fake police badge.

"No," she answered sharply, before turning to Sam. "Come on, the faster we find her the more likely we will be able to save her."

Sam nodded and followed her inside. The building was made of concrete blocks, but the inside had a feeling of being an acual home. Pictures of successful cases hung on the walls and the warm sunlight coming in the through the windows gave a golden touch to everything. The two walked over to the young receptionist who was sitting neatly behind her desk, doing a crossword puzzle.

"May I help you?" she asked when they walked up.

"Yes, we need to find an address of a local person here in town," Charlie replied.

"May I see some I.D.?"

Both of them held up their I.D.'s and she nodded. "Alright, who are you looking for?" she asked, placing her fingers on the keyboard.

"Marion Ledger," Sam told her. With a nod, her fingers flew over the keyboard and a moment later a small box popped up on the screen.

"1678 Orange Street, Apartment 89," she told them.

"Would it be too much trouble to give us directions from here?" Charlie inquired.

The receptionist smiled before she took out a piece of paper and drew them a small map leading straight to Marion's aparment. Sam thanked her and the two walked outside.

"Did you get it?" Alex asked as soon as they got to the cars.

"Yeah," Charlie said before turning to Sam. "Should we head there now?"

"I think so," Sam replied.

The four hunters got back into their cars and Charlie followed the Impala to Orange Street. They parked next to the curb outside of the aparment building, and once again met between the two.

"Now what?" Charlie asked.

"I say we go and get her," Dean said.

"And say what? Oh, our friend here saw you die a few hours ago," she snapped.

"I agree with Dean," Sam spoke up. "Come on."

While Dean and Charlie glared at each other, the four walked up the steps to apartment 89. Dean, Charlie and Alex stood to the side as Sam knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again, this time adding her name.

"Marion Ledger?" he called through the door. After waiting another minute, he turned to his companions. "Should I pick the lock?"

"Try the door first," Alex said out of nowhere.

Sam shrugged and put his hand on the doorknob. Surprisingly, it turned and he pushed open the door. He turned back to Alex. "How did you know it wasn't locked?"

He shrugged. "Just a guess."

"Come on, lets see if she's home," Dean said, pulling out his homemade EMF meter as the four walked into the house. It looked like Marion had just moved in, as there wasn't much furniture and the walls were blank and white.

"Marion?" Charlie called, as Dean walked beside her. She glanced over at him. "Anything?"

"No. The place is clean. Not even a blip on the thing," Dean replied irritably.

"Hey guys," Sam's voice called from somewhere in the back. The three followed his voice and found him standing in a doorway. "We're too late."

And there she was. Just as in his vision, lying on the floor, a blood pool around her and the water still running in the shower.

Xxxxxxxx

"So you're Marion's cousin?" the policeman asked Sam. After they had found her body, Charlie had called the police and told Dean and Alex to get out of there, leaving Sam and herself to deal with the police.

"Yeah," Sam said with a nod. "I was coming to visit her on my way to California. I found the door unlocked and she was lying there."

"And her?" the man asked, nodding to Charlie, who was watching the EMT's place Marion's dead body in a white bag.

"My girlfriend," Sam replied. "Is that all? This has kind of been hard for us."

"Of course, I'll call with any other questions."

With a small smile, Sam walked over to Charlie and put his arm around her shoulders. She raised an eyebrow and looked up at him.

"I told the cops you were my girlfriend," he told her simply.

"You wish," she told him with a smile.

He smiled back, but it lacked any enthusisum.

"Maybe we should go find Dean and Alex," Charlie suggested, starting to walk towards the road heading into town.

He followed silently and when they got out of the vasinity of the apartments, he let go of Charlie's shoulders and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Charlie looked over at him, really worried about what had happened and how Sam was going to deal with it.

"Sam," she started quietly.

"We were too late," he said quickly, looking down at her with such a sad expression that Charlie had to look down before she started crying.

_A/N: So...this is just something that my mind cooked up. Any good? Please review!!! They make me happy!_


	12. Revelations

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Twelve: Revelations**

Charlie and Sam made it back to the others, who had already gotten them a hotel room. The two had been quiet on the walk around town, Sam thinking of his visions and wishing he could have saved Marion and Charlie was worried about Sam. The two made a rather gloomy entrance when they walked through the door. Dean was flipping through the channels on the twenty-two inch television, lounged out on one of the twin beds in the room and Alex was sitting at the small round table in the room, his laptop setup and running.

"Hey, what happened?" Dean asked, turning off the power on the TV. Alex looked up from his computer just in time to see Sam just shake his head.

Avoiding the gaze of all three of the men in the room, Charlie walked over to where her duffel bag was, grabbed it, and locked herself in the bathroom. A nice warm shower was definately in order after the events of the day and spending quite a few hours in the car. She stripped off her clothes and stepped into the warm stream of water, trying to let it was away all the burdens that rested on her shoulders. She had to look out for Alex, worry about her mom, save many innocent people from evils beyond their comprehensions and then there was the Winchesters. Sam just needed comfort to help him through his visions and just to be there for him. Dean was a different story and she really didn't feel like getting into that at that moment. Not realizing how long she had been in the shower, she felt the water gradually get cooler so she finished rinsing her hair and then turned off the water. After drying herself off, she pulled on a pair of comfortable, worn jeans and a plain blue T-shirt before blow-drying her hair then walking out into the room. To her surprise, the only person in the room was Dean.

"Where's Sam and Alex?" she asked, dropping her bag on the floor with the three others.

Dean looked up from the knife he was sharpening, sitting on the edge of one of the beds. "Sam took the Impala for a ride and Alex went to get some food."

She nodded, her hand itching to unzipper her bag and take out a cigarette. Lord knows she could use one. Not being able to fight the urge any longer, she started digging in her bag, only to be startled to a stop by Dean saying her name. She turned around, only to find him standing right behind her, their faces inches apart. She swallowed.

"Dean, this isn't the time," she said in a small voice.

A flick of emotion flashed in his eyes. "Why not?"

"We have more pressing matters."

"This isn't pressing?" He smirked, not moving and knowing he had her cornered.

"I'm...I'm," she faltered, "I'm talking about Sam."

"Charlie, just forget about Sam for a minute."

"Why? He's your brother."

"But...us, Charlie. We won't live forever."

She tried to take a step backwards but the wall was in her way. "What do you mean?"

"We could die tomorrow. You never know. Don't you want to enjoy life while you still have it?"

He did have a point, but she wasn't going to back down so easily. "Like I said, Dean," his voice came sharp off her tounge, "we have more pressing matters."

Knowing she wasn't going to budge, and knowing he liked her too much to force anything on her, he took a step back, allowing her to walk over to the other bed and sit down.

"Don't you worry about Sam?" she asked him, watching his movements very carefully.

He turned slowly around and sat on the other bed, facing her. "I worry about Sam all the time. It's my responsablity to keep him safe since our Dad's not here."

"I know," she said slowly. "But aren't you a little concerned with his visions? I mean, there's no denying after today that they aren't just fluke things."

She saw his jaw clench and he looked at the floor. "I just...I don't know how to help him."

Charlie shook her head. "None of us do, Dean. We're just trying to figure this out one step at a time, and I think we just need to go with this right now."

He looked up at her and she saw that he was close to tears. "But how am I supposed to protect him? I mean, he's my brother. What good am I if I can't protect him?"

She wasn't used to this side of Dean. It was his human side. "You can, we just have to figure out how."

He held her gaze for a long time before the hotel door opened and Alex walked in. "Who feels like Chinese?"

Xxxxxxxxx

The wake for Marion Ledger was three days later. During the time leading up to that, Sam and Alex did all the research they could, trying to figure out what invisible killer killed Marion. Nothing weird happened in her apartment or the land, she had not curses attached to her family name and they even checked out her closest friends the town itself. Besides have surprisingly well soil during the Depression, nothing odd or supernatural had ever happened in Moab.

"This is just great," Sam said the morning of the wake, pushing back his laptop. They had decided that Dean and Charlie would go to the wake and try to pry out any information, while Sam and Alex continued their search and were instructed to call either of them if Sam had another vision.

Charlie couldn't have been more drawn to Dean than when she first saw him in his black and white suit. She herself had gone out the past evening and bought a black dress that came down to her knees, some black tights and heels. She had lightly curled her hair with a thick pen and blow-dryer to make her look more 'wake propriate', and Dean definately noticed.

"Alright, lets go," he said, walking over to the front door and opening it.

"Good luck guys, and call us if you find anything," she told the two younger men before following Dean outside. She turned to close the door when Dean spoke.

"You, uh...you look really nice, Charlie," he said.

The compliment startled her and she turned to look at him but he was already walking down the hall. She stood, transfixed, staring at his back before her mind suddenly came back and with a slight shake of her head, she followed him out to the Impala.

The wake was being held in the funeral home and as the big black Chevy pulled up, they both felt oddly uncomfortable.

"You know what?" Dean asked as they got out of the car.

"What?" she answered as they walked up the water sucking green grass.

"I hate dealing with dead people. I mean, I can deal with zombies and shit but," he paused, "Just regular people who've died is just plain weird."

She tried to fight against the growing laughter but couldn't help herself. Bursting into soft laughter, she shook her head and looked at him. "Oh my god, you should hear yourself, Dean!"

He looked at her quizzically. "Why?"

"'Just regular people who've died is just plain weird'," she quoted, stopping her laughter and just settling on a big grin. "That's so not normal."

Hearing her say it, he had to admit that it did sound a little funny. Allowing himself to smile, he opened the door for her and they walked into the building. People dressed in black and holding Kleenex's to their eyes stood around, quietly talking to each other and staring harshly at the newcomers. A man an inch or so shorter than Dean with greying hair walked up to them.

"Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing the both of them.

Trying to help their appearences, she slid her arm through Dean's and made sure she had on a serious face. "Yeah, I was friends with Marion, I just came too...I just can't believe she..." she trailed off, making for a very convicing crying scene.

The man nodded solemnly. "It's horrible, I know," he answered, his eyes watering. "I was...am her father, Richard."

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said in a sincere voice. "I'm Anna and this is my boyfriend, John."

He nodded. "Thank you for coming." With that, he walked off. As if the whole environment had changed, Charlie and Dean both realized how close their bodies were. Neither protested the closeness, though Charlie had to remind herself that Sam was the current dilema they were focusing on. They made their way through the crowd to the coffin. Marion lay inside in a gorgeous purple dress, her red hair combed out nicely and framing her face. She looked so peaceful, almost like an angel, though both of the hunters knew there was no such thing.

"She's gorgeous, isn't see?" a male voice said behind them. They turned around to find a thin man standing there around Sam's age.

Charlie nodded. "Yes she is. It's a shame that she..."

He nodded. "Yeah, she was a great girlfriend."

Dean glanced down at Charlie, who was still holding onto his arm. "You were her boyfriend?" he confirmed.

"Ryan White," he said, giving them a strained half-smile. "What about you? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"I'm Anna, this is John," Charlie said. "Marion and I were friends."

Ryan nodded. "Oh. Well thanks for coming."

"Hey, Ryan was it?" Dean spoke up. The man nodded. "Do you have any idea why someone might want to hurt your girlfriend?"

A flash of anger flickered across Ryan's eyes. "Why should I tell you that?"

"He's a cop," Charlie smoothly lied. "He's working on difficult cases."

It seemed reasonable enough, so Ryan answered. "You're certain someone killed her?"

"It seems pretty reasonable," Dean said.

"I'm not sure really. I mean, Marion was always friendly with everyone in town. She had a job but everyone there was nice, but..." Ryan trailed off.

"What?" Charlie pressed.

He glanced up at the 'couple'. "A few days before she died, I found out that she was cheating on me with two other guys. Maybe one of them did it because they realized I knew."

Charlie glanced up at Dean. "Do you have their names?" she asked.

Xxxxxxx

Sam looked up from his laptop as the two hunters returned. "Find anything?" he asked as Charlie took off her heels that were killing her feet and Dean loosened up his tie.

"Well, Marion was well liked. Had a job, a boyfriend, the perfect little American girl. But, a few days before her death, her boyfriend found out that she was cheating on him with two other guys," Dean announced.

"That's more than we have," Alex said.

Sam looked over at his brother. "Did you get the guy's names?"

Dean smiled as he held up a piece of paper. "What kind of hunter do you think I am?"

_A/N: I totally love this chapter! A big softie-Dean chapter and I love that! Hehe, and I just love writing about Charlie and Dean's oddly growing relationship, and I've been told that it isn't cheesy so I will make sure to continue this way and steer clear of fluffy-ness which is totally NOT Supernatural. Anyways, tell me what you guys think! And sorry for the long wait, I'm trying to finish up 'What We Can Do For You'. Leave reviews pretty please with a cherry on top???_


	13. Clues to the Puzzle

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Thirteen: Clues To The Puzzle**

After Alex did a scan of the two guys' names and got their addresses, Dean and Sam set out to find out anything else that might help in what or who killed Marion. They got into the Impala, Sam sitting shotgun of course, and started on the way.

"Well this is weird," Dean said after a few minutes of silence.

Sam glanced over at him. "What's weird?"

"Us actually doing something together. Usually Charlie separates us all into little freakin' groups to do shit for a gig."

Sam tried hard to hide his amused smile but Dean saw him.

"What are you smiling about?" he demanded.

Sam just shook his head. "It's just, you seem to talk about Charlie an awful lot, Dean."

"And?"

"So you like her," Sam stated.

Dean stared out the windshield, not speaking.

"Oh. You _really_ like her."

No response.

"Dean..."

"So what if I do. She doesn't seem too interested," Dean said finally.

"You want to know why?"

"How would you know?"

"She told me."

Dean glared over at his little brother. "Fine."

"She sees you as a love 'em and leave 'em guy and she doesn't want to get hurt."

"Uh-huh. Love 'em and leave 'em huh?"

"Yeah. And man, you know you really are like that."

Dean didn't respond and a minute later, pulled up in front of an apparment building. "Come on, smart-ass, let's go."

Xxxxxxx

"I still don't see why you need to talk to me about Marion," Mark Newman said, looking at the two men sitting across from him.

Sam glanced at Dean. "Mr. Newman, we know that before she died, Marion was cheating on her boyfriend with you."

Mark shrugged. "Why wouldn't she? That Ryan guy is a freak."

"How so?" Dean asked.

"He wouldn't even let her out of his sight unless it was for work. She told me that he threatened to kill her if she tried to break up with him," Mark explained.

"What exactly did she tell you?" Sam pressed.

"She said he came at her with a knife and told her he would stick her through if she even tried to break up with him."

"And yet she still cheated on him," Dean said, shaking his head. "One ballsie chick."

Sam cleared his throat. "Mr. Newman, what else do you remember Marion telling you about Ryan?"

"Uh." Mark sat forward in the seat, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing his fingertips together. "He moved here a few years ago. He always seemed normal. All the people here love him. But...me and some others have noticed that there's just something not right with him."

The brother's exchanged another glance. "Do you happen to know a James Miller?" Sam asked.

Mark nodded. "Yeah. We grew up together."

"So you know that she was also seeing him as well as you behind Ryan White?"

Mark shook his head with a slight smile on his face. "Yeah I know. But they weren't really seeing each other. She talked to him about everything. I just got sex."

Sam cleared his throat and Dean stood up. "Right. So thanks for the info, Mr. Newman." The boys walked outside, Dean loosening up his tie.

"Damn, that guy's lucky. Marion was one hot chick," Dean said.

Sam shook his head as he opened the door of the Impala. "Dude, you saw her when she was dead."

"So?" With a grin, he got into the drivers' seat and Sam sat shotgun. "Didn't you see her in the shower?"

Sam didn't answer, just looked down at his hands and blushed a deep red. "Just go to James Millar's house."

Xxxxxxx

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, for once Charlie was positioned in front of Alex's laptop and Alex was lounged out on his bed--he and Charlie had gotten the beds this time-- flipping through the channels. Soon after, he flicked off the power and as soon as it was off, Everclear's "Father of Mine" blared out from the small laptop in front of Charlie. Alex watched his older sister, worried. She only listened to that song when she was close to smoking a whole pack of cigarettes.

"Charlie, what's up?" he asked.

She didn't even glance up from the screen, her lips silently forming the words to the song. "Noth--everything, Alex. This makes no sence! Why would Sam have visions? Why did this girl Marion die? How come we met these guys, Alex? Are we supposed to be a part of whatever they're in the middle of? Why were we brought into this? Don't we have enoguh to hand?" By this time she had sat back in the chair, her hands clentching the arms so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She was close to tears. "Why are we here? What the fuck is going on?" No longer able to hold them in any longer, Charlie sat forward, burried her head in her hands and sobbed.

Alex stayed on the bed, not disturbing his sister. He knew she just had to let everything out and she wasn't finished yet. He sat back and waited.

A minute later, she lifted her head and started talking again, tears still falling onto her cheeks. "And what the fuck is up with me and Dean? I won't get into another relationship with a hunter ever again! And here Dean comes, fucking player from hell, and acts like he cares for me! What the hell is that about? And what am I going to do about that? I'm not strong enought to deal with all of this at once, Alex! I just don't think I can."

Xxxxxxx

Sam and Dean were sitting on a couch. Again. This time in James Miller's house. The other man had black hair and only came up to about Dean's shoulder. But he didn't seem intimidated and let them into the living room to sit. He answered their questions without faltering, without asking questions back.

"So, we heard that Marion mostly talked to you," Sam said, once most of the normal 'routine' questions had been answered.

James nodded. "Yeah. She had a lot going on in her life. With her dad having a heart attack and then Ryan threatening her."

"She told you that?" Dean interrupted.

"Yeah. She told me about her relationship with Ryan and how crappy he treated her."

"Was there anything she said about him that seemed...odd?" Sam inquired.

"Odd?"

"Yeah, like out of the ordinary. Weird," Dean said.

"Uh...there was this one thing." James looked up at them. Their expressions said go on. "She said that one night he had stayed over her appartment. She woke up in the middle of the night and he wasn't there. She went to the bathroom and when she came back, he was there, just like he had never even left."

The brother's exchanged a glance. "Like he had never left?" Sam pushed.

"Yeah. Like he could turn invisible or something," James said.

Sam's eyebrows came together sharply as a thought clicked. He stood up quickly, holding out his hand. "Thank you Mr. Miller. We'll contact you if we have any further questions."

James shook Sam then Dean's hand and showed them to the door. Once outside, Sam rushed to the car and slammed the door once inside. Dean got into the driver's seat and looked over at his brother. He seemed to have something that he wanted to say.

"Sam," Dean started.

"Powers," Sam said darkly. "Didn't we figure that the demon gave me this power? Or that would make sense since all of my dreams have been somehow connected to him?"

"Yeah," Dean said uncertainly.

"Well, what if I wasn't the only one."

"Sam, what are you talking about?"

"What if, Dean, what if the demon gave other children powers? Maybe so he could use us later on for something. Once we'd matured."

"Sam, that's crazy."

Sam turned to Dean. "Dean, we live in a world of crazy. Now really, how crazy does this sound compaired to everything else we know?"

"So you're saying that this Ryan guy might have some sort of powers too?"

"Why not? What if he could turn invisible? What if that's why he seems to appear after being gone like James told us?"

"So _he_ killed Marion?"

Sam nodded. "I think so. I mean, he could turn invisible, mess with the shower and write her name on the mirror like in my dream."

"So we waste him."

"What? No! We don't know for sure it's him. And Dean, he's not just like another ghost or something. He's a human being. We can't kill him?"

"Why not? If he is doing this, Sam, then he's just as bad as those ghost and everything else."

"We won't make any rash desicions, Dean. This is a person we're talking about."

Dean started up the Impala. "Well, if you're right, we should tell Charlie and Alex." With that, he pushed his foot to the floor and took off towards the hotel.

_A/N: bet you think I forgot about this story huh? well, your wrong! i just had some slight writers block with it but here it is! heehee, please leave reviews!_


	14. Hide and Seak

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Fourteen: Hide and Seek**

Sam and Dean drove back to the hotel in silence. Sam couldn't even begin in fathom what he himself had figured out. The demon had given him and who knows how many other people these powers...but for what? The thought of uncertainty scared Sam a bit and he wondered if he should try to contact Bobby, or even leave yet another message on his dad's cell phone. Before he got a chance to voice his thoughts to Dean, they pulled up in front of the hotel room.

"You tell Alex and Charlie what you figured out," Dean instructed Sam. Sam didn't do anything but nod as Dean opened the door and walked inside. Alex was laid out on the bed, watching something on the Discovery channel.

"Where's Charlie?" he asked as Alex shut off the television.

"She went out for a drive."

"A drive? But we're on on a hunt. Sam has to tell you guys something."

"She just needed to get away for a while," Alex replied, standing up. "What do you have to tell, Sam?"

"Is she okay?" Dean interrupted.

Alex sighed. "Actually, no."

Dean looked down, his jaw clenched. "I'll be back," he said, headed back outside and leaving a distrought Sam to fill Alex in on the news.

Dean walked to the Impala, ready to open the door, hand hovering over the handle, and stopped. Moab was a small enough town, he could just walk. It wouldn't be that hard to pick out Charlie's Camaro in the small town and he could use the excersize, so walking it was. He headed toward the center of town, stopping to ask people if they had seen an old maroon Camaro drive by recently. The few that had, said it was headed to the nearby park. To the park he went. It was small, with immature pine, maple and oak trees as well as more water sucking grass. A small, man made pond was in the center, a small stone bridge going over it. And that's where he found Charlie. She was sitting on one of the stone walls, a pack of cigarettes beside her, her feet dangling over the water. She took a drag of the cigarette in her hand before dropping it into the water, watching it hiss and sputter out.

"Hey," he said, walking up to her.

"Go away," she told him, not looking up.

Instead of answering, he swung himself onto the wall, dangling his feet over the water. He looked over at her. It seemed like she'd been crying, and he saw many cigarette butts floating in the water. They sat side by side for a while, Dean keeping quiet and Charlie puffing on a newly lit cigarette.

"Chalrie," Dean finally said, when her cigarette was half-way done. "Alex said something was wrong."

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she took a deep drag of the cigarette and blew it out her nose. Then she looked at him and spoke. "You want to know something? Two days before my dad died, he went and got drunk at this bar with a few other hunters. Mom was home with me and Alex." She paused to take another drag of her cigarette. "He didn't come home that night. Turns out he went and got so drunk he went home with this waitress and fucked her." She shook her head and looked at the pack of cigarettes next to her hand. "Dean, he had a family at home. My mom and two toddlers and he went and slept with some chick from a bar. And then he died." She was silent after that.

Dean didn't know what to think. First he thought of how big of an ass Charlie's dad was, even if he had been drunk. Then he thought of the conversation he and Sam had had about Charlie. "She sees you as a love 'em and leave 'em guy and she doesn't want to get hurt." That's what Sam had said. Dean realized then that Charlie was scared of being thrown aside like her mother had been.

"Charlie, I'm sorry," he said, and for once, he actually really meant it.

She shook her head and dropped the burnt out cigarette into the water. "Nothing you can do. It's the past. And you must think I'm crazy," she added, rubbing her cheeks and running her hands through her hair.

"No. Why? _Should_ I?"

"No, it's just that all of a sudden I'm here smoking like a chimney and looking like crap. It's just, this was the day he cheated on my mom, Dean. It pisses me off every single year."

"I don't think you're crazy. I'd think you're crazy if you _didn't_ do something," he said, trying to get her to laugh.

Charlie smiled slightly. "I'm glad you think so." With that, she stood up on the wall and jumped down onto the bridge. Dean left his seat also, and followed her to the Camaro. Just as she opened the door she turned to Dean and looked at him over the top of her car.

"Hey, where's the Impala?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I walked."

She raised an eyebrow. "You? Walking? That's a shocker." She smiled and slipped inside. He got into the passenger seat and shut the door as she started the engine.

"I can't believe you'd rather sit shotgun with a girl driving than walk," Charlie said, turning down the radio.

Dean glanced over at her. "I can't stand walking."

She smiled and was quiet until they reached the hotel. She parked and turned off the engine. Just as he was about step outside, she turned to him. "Hey Dean?"

He looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming out to find me," she said, before getting out of the car and walking inside. Dean followed. Once Sam told Alex and Charlie everything he'd found out, they all sat around, wondering what to do.

"We need to do something with Ryan," Alex said, stating the obvious.

Charlie folled her eyes. "Well duh."

"We know that," Sam said, running his hands through his hair. "It's about _how_ we're going to do it."

"Kill him," Dean said simply.

They all stared at him.

"Are you crazy?" Charlie squeaked. "He's a freakin' person, Dean! Not a demon or something!"

"But he kills people," Dean replied. "That's as bad as everything else we've hunted."

Charlie stood up and paced. "No, no. He's not like anything else we've ever hunted because we're _not_ hunting him!"

"Charlie," Sam said, standing up and putting two hands on her shoulders. "We just have to stop him."

She looked up at him before smiling. "Thanks, Sam." She sat down next to Alex on his bed, looking at Dean what was lying down on hers. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You know that's my bed right?"

He turned his head to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't you join me?"

She rolled her eyes. "You wish."

"A guy can dream right?" he said, with a smile.

"Sure."

Sam was sitting in a chair at the small table in the room, watching the scene unfold. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his brain and exploud behind his eyes. He heard Dean calling him, but when he looked forward, he saw through Dean and saw this scene:

_Mark Newman was walking down the street, his keys in his hands. He got to his house and unlocked the door, walking inside and closing it behind him. He threw his jacket and keys on the armchair and laid down on the couch. He closed his eyes, falling asleep. Then, the front door opened yet no one was there. It closed and then the plug going to the lamp on the table near Mark's head got unplugged and the wire was brought up to the sleeping man's neck. Then, the cord was wrapped around Mark's neck until he stopped breathing. Then the back door swung open and closed._

"Sam!" Dean yelled as Sam came to. The younger Winchester shook his head to clear the image in his mind. "What happened?"

"I saw Mark die, it was Ryan."

Xxxxxxx

"You sure it's going to happen today?" Charlie asked Sam. The four hunters were sitting in the Impala across the street from Mark's house. Charlie and Alex were in the backseat and the Winchesters were up front.

Sam nodded. "All my visions happen not to long after I ge them. It seemed like about this time, so I'm pretty sure it's going to happen."

"Okay," she said quietly, slumping back in the seat.

Pretty soon it was just Sam watching the street. Dean and Alex were both snoozing and Charlie was busy taking pictures of herself and the sleeping boys. Suddenly, Sam had a huge wave of deja vu as he saw Mark walk down the street, keys in hand.

"Charlie," he said, making her stop snapping pictures and wake up Alex. Sam woke up Dean.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Mark's here, Dean," Sam said.

"Alright," Dean said with a nod, leaning over to open the glove box. He pulled out a .45 pistol

"Dean, what're you doing?" Charlie asked.

"Hey, I'm not going in naked," he said, before turning back to Sam. "Now what?"

"We wait for Ryan," Sam told him.

They didn't have to wait long. As they crouched down in the seats, Sam saw Ryan come down the street then suddenly dissappear. A minute later, Mark's door opened.

"He's inside, come on," Sam said, getting out of the car. The others followed and raced up to the house. Sam opened the door slowly and crept in. They heard a choking gasp and he rushed into the living room. Mark had the cord around his neck and Sam watched as his eyes glazed over.

"You!" they heard a voice yell. It was Ryan and he was still invisible. "So much for a cop."

Charlie glanced over at Dean. He had his hand poised and ready to grab his gun.

"I would kill you all but then that'd look suspicious," Ryan said, and they heard footsteps going towards the back door. As soon as it opened, there was a gunshot. The four hunters watched as it looked like the air started bleeding. Then Ryan dropped to his knees, flickering back to visibleness. His hand was over the gun wound in his chest, and blood pooled around his hand and dripped onto the floor before he dropped, lifeless.

"Oh my god," Charlie said, looking at the man down the hall. "Dean! How could you!" she screeched.

There was no time to explain and Sam knew it. He grabbed Charlie's hand and pulled her out of the house, the other's following. They piled into the Impala and started off towards the hotel. Charlie was in the backseat, arms crossed and staring holes in the back of Dean's head. Once they got to the hotel, Sam got out and said simply that they had to leave. That they would be the first ones to be questioned. The four then packed quickly and Charlie drove her Camaro out of town behind Dean's Impala.

_A/N: over a month! I'm so sorry! I'll try not to wait that long to upload again! I'm just tryin to finish up the easier stories and sort of forgotten about this one. so here's chapter...fourteen! Oh and What We Can Do For You will be uploaded the most until it is finished. I've calculated it and I've got about thirteen more chapters on that one so after that's done, I'll make sure to work hard on this one! I LOVE reviews!_


	15. Confessions

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Fiveteen: Confessions**

Two weeks after the incident in Moab, the four hunters were sitting at a diner in a small town in Nebraska. Charlie had finally forgiven Dean for what he had done since now she knew that there was nothing else that they could have done and they couldn't have just let Ryan walk free.

"Mmm...these are the best pancakes _ever_!" Dean exclaimed suddenly, stuffing his face with food.

Charlie watched him across the table and raised an eyebrow. Beside Dean, Sam snickered and Alex chuckled from beside her. "You're a pig, Dean. You know that?"

He just stared across the table at her, his mouth open and full of food.

"Ew! Dude, that's gross!" She kicked his leg under the table.

"'Ey!" Dean growled, his mouth still full of food.

Charlie shook her head and neatly finished off her omlete and bacon. "I need to go rid myself of Dean's horrible manners," she stated, standing up and walking over to the bathroom. There was another woman her age standing in front of the mirror and fixing her unearthly red hair. She reeked of alcohol and cigarettes and her messy clothes matched. Charlie gave her a short friendly smile, pulled open a stall door and then everything when dark.

Xxxxxxx

"What the hell is Charlie doing in there? Taking a shower?" Dean asked in an aggrivated voice as he drummed his fingertips on the table.

"Do you think something could have happened to her?" Sam said after a few more minutes. The others were silent. After another minute, Alex jumped up out of the booth, walked over to the ladies room and opened the door. There was no one inside.

"Shit," he hissed under his breath as he walked inside. The Winchesters followed, and they started looking for any clues that would tell where Charlie was.

"Hey, isn't this from her shirt?" Sam asked, pulling a piece of cloth from a nail on the windowsill. The other two walked over to the youngest hunter.

"It is," Alex said after a moment.

Dean clentched his jaw. "That means someone took her."

The three all looked at each other, thinking the same thing: who or _what_ took Charlie?

Xxxxxxx

"Come on! There's two of you! How could you have not found something yet?" Dean was pacing back and forth in their hotel room. Sam and Alex were both leaned over their laptops, trying to find any supernatural activity in the surrounding area.

"We're working as fast as we can, Dean. Just calm down, we'll find her," Sam assured his brother. Alex was silent, his eyes glued to the screen. After a few more minutes of pacing, Dean finally stopped and sat down on the end of one of the beds. He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair.

"What if she wasn't taken by something supernatural? What if she's with some phsyco person who's...who's..." he trailed off. It was silent for a while, with only the tapping of computer keys to break the silence. Finally, Dean couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and swung his fist into the wall, leaving a hole and making Sam and Alex jump. "I'll be back," he said in a low voice before walking out of the room and slamming the door.

Xxxxxxx

"Hmm." A tall, pale faced man with stringy black hair was walking around someone tied to a chair. A thin woman with bright red hair stood a few feet away from the chair.

"How did I do, Tristan?" she asked in a squeaky voice.

Tristan walked around the chair once more before raising his head to look at the woman. "You did well, Maria," he said, his voice sultry and smooth. "I will reward you later. Now go." Maria did as she was told, leaving Tristan and his prisoner.

"Well, well. You're a pretty thing aren't you?" He bent down in front of the chair and pulled the gag out of the hostage's mouth.

"What the fuck do you want?" Charlie hissed as soon as her mouth was free.

He chuckled. "And fiesty too." He smiled, and Charlie watched as all of his teeth turned into fangs. "You'll be perfect."

Xxxxxxx

"Did you find anything yet?" Dean asked as he walked back into the hotel room about an hour after he had stormed off.

"I think we did," Sam said, sitting back and stretching his arms over his head.

"Well?" Dean raised his eyebrows and sat on a bed.

Alex sighed. "We think she was taken by vampires."

"Vampires? But I didn't think they came this far north."

"Well they do," Sam started, "and it seems that the mate of the leader got killed by a hunter a few weeks ago and now he's looking for another mate."

Dean's head snapped up. "What?! Do you know where the nest is? I'm going to rip those mother fuckers to pieces," he growled.

"We almost have enough information to figure out where the nest is," Alex said, stretching. "It shouldn't take that much longer."

Xxxxxxx

Charlie was once again tied to a chair and she was put in an empty room. Her face was lined with tears and she felt like dying. It seemed like she had been in the dim room for hours, the only sound she could hear were her own sobs. She dozed off and was jerked awake by a loud sound in the other room. Loud laughing followed and she shivered and tried to untie her hands. The rope around her wrists burned as she tried to move her hands and she bit her tongue to stop from crying out as she felt skin rip against the rough rope. It was no use. She felt her wrists burn and could feel her own blood dripping onto her hands. She closed her eyes and prayed that Dean, Alex and Sam would come soon.

Xxxxxxx

"This it?" Dean asked, pulling the Impala over in front of a light green two story house in the middle of a field.

"Yes," Alex said as the engine stopped. None of them said another word, but got out of the Chevy, each with a machette. Even though it was nine at night, there were no lights or sounds coming from inside. They all glanced at each other and Sam turned the door knob and the front door opened instantly. Dean walked in first and felt around the wall by the door for a light switch. As soon as he turned on the light, they were standing in a normal looking living room.

"I'll look in the cellar," Dean said quietly. "Don't kill one unless you have too."

Sam looked at his brother with a shocked look, but nodded. Dean nodded back and started walking through the house. From the front living room he went into a kitchen that was piled high with full and half-empty liquor bottles. He kept his ears open for any sounds and saw a small wooden door in the back of the kitchen. He walked over to it and pushed it open. Inside was pitch dark, so he turned on his flashlight and walked down the wooden stairs. Almost all the way down he walked through a huge spiderweb and cursed loudly.

"Dean?" a voice called from somewhere in the room.

His heart quickened when he heard the voice. "Charlie?" He walked down the rest of the stairs, nearly hitting his head on a low part of the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs. He stepped onto a hard packed dirt floor and shown his flashlight around the room. He saw Charlie tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He rushed over to her.

"Oh my god, its so good to see you," she said, starting to cry.

Dean knelt down in front of her. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

He couldn't see that she shook her head. "Just untie my hands please."

He stood up and walked to the back of the chair, pulling out a pocket knife. He knelt down behind the chair and held the flashlight between his knees. "Charlie, what happened to your hands?" he asked, his voice full of concern as he saw her bloody hands.

"I tried to get out of the ropes," she told him. Dean cursed under his breath and carefully cut the ropes away from her hands and then away from her ankles. Not a moment after, Dean felt Charlie's arms around him. He put his arms around her and rubbed her back as she sobbed into his chest.

"I was so afraid you weren't going to come," she said, once her sobbing was under control.

Hearing her words, he tightened his grip around her. "Come on, we have to get you out of here," he said quietly. He stood up and helped her up, grabbed his flashlight and helped her up the stairs to the kitchen. Once upstairs, he shut off the flashlight and stuck it in his pocket, grabbing the machette he had left on the counter right by the stairs. "Sam and Alex are here somewhere," he said quietly as she held onto him and walked with him back into the living room.

"Charlie!" Sam and Alex exclaimed at the same time. She let go of Dean and gave each of them a big hug.

"Where are the vampires?" Dean asked.

"Upstairs," Charlie answered quietly.

Dean glanced from Charlie to the staircase leading upstairs. "Come on, lets get back to the hotel."

Xxxxxxx

Dean gave up his bed that night for Charlie. She didn't want to talk about what happened to her there and the boys didn't push her. Around midnight, Charlie woke up from a nightmare. She stepped over Alex on the floor and walked over to the bathroom. She closed the door and turned on the light, giving her eyes a minute to adjust before she looked at herself in the mirror. She still had that wide-eyed-and-scared look but at least she no longer had tear stains on her cheeks and her eyes weren't so puffy. She turned away from the mirror and sat on the counter beside the sink, looking down at her hands which were slightly stained by her blood and had white bandages wrapped around her wrists. A light knock on the door startled her, and Dean poked his head in.

"I heard you get up," he said, taking a step inside and closing the door behind him. He crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned against the door. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer immediately, but just kept looking at her hands. "No, Dean, I'm not." She felt a hot wave of tears come on and blinked her eyes furiously to stop them from falling.

Dean saw how distrought she was and walked to stand in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Charlie, what happened?"

She looked up from her hands and into his gold speckled eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped. "I--I can't tell you, Dean."

"Yes you can. It's bothering you and if you tell me...it won't bother you so much." Dean only noticed how childish that sounded after he came out of his mouth, but for once, he didn't even care.

She smiled sadly before talking. "I got taken to the leader of the vampires because he had lost his mate. He said that I would do. And his hands were so cold..." she shivered. "And he--he.." She didn't finish and looked down at her hands.

"What did he do?" Dean asked, his voice somewhat harsh. He didn't mean to, but he really cared about Charlie--even if he was just figureing that out.

"I--I can't tell you what he did to me, Dean."

"Charlie," he started, moving his hands from her shoulders to her forearms, "you can tell me."

"He raped me," she said, even before Dean finished his sentence.

Dean took a step back, his hands forming fists at his sides. "You mean he forced you to--"

"Yes. And I'm sorry...I just couldn't tell you earlier. And I don't want Alex or Sam to know." She jumped down from the sink and put her hands over his fists. "Please don't tell them."

He looked down at her. "I won't. I promise."

She smiled at him, just before he walked over to the door and walked into the hotel room. She followed him. "Dean, what are you doing?" she whispered, watching him pull on a shirt and jeans.

"I'm going to go gut that son of a bitch," was his reply as he pulled on his jacket and boots. A moment later he was walking out the door. Charlie followed him, the cold asphault freezing her bare feet.

"Dean! What the hell do you think you're doing?" she called after him.

"I already told you," he yelled back, his head in the trunk of the Impala.

"Dean, you can't go now," she said, stopping beside him.

He stood up, almost hitting his head on the trunk. "And why not? I have everything I need." He held up a machette.

"You can't go because they'll know I'm gone and will be on full patrol for anyone going near their nest. They'd rip you apart in a second!"

He looked down at her and her pleading eyes and finally dropped the machette in his trunk and closed it. "Fine. I won't go tonight. But you better not stop me tomorrow."

Charlie crossed her arms to keep warm and shook her head. "I won't stop you. I have to go back to the nest too."

He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"They have my watersteel cross."

It was then that Dean first realized the missing piece of jewelry. "I thought it was supposed to protect you from vampires and things."

"It was...but only if they touched it, mistaking it for a regular cross. But the vampire who brought me to the nest burned the chain and let the cross fall somewhere in the nest."

"We'll find it." Just then he noticed that she was just wearing a pair of shorts and a thin t-shirt. He took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. "Tomorrow."

_A/N: soo sorry for the long wait! I was on vacation for a while and didn't have time to write. but this only has...7 chapters left so I'll try to finish off this one and '_What We Can Do For You'_ before I concentrate on my other stories. Please review and hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait! It was my favorite to write!_


	16. Blood Type

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Sixteen: Blood Type**

The sun shone through the half-closed hotel curtains. Charlie couldn't help but stir from sleep as the beams of light fell over her face. She was supposed to have been sleeping on the couch, but Dean had given up his bed for her due to the circumstances. The thought of Dean, and how ireali he had been with her last night, brought a smile to her lips as she rolled onto her back. There was something bunched up under her back so she rolled back onto her side before reaching behind her and pulling whatever was in the way, out of the way. It felt like worn leather, and Charlie quickly rolled back onto her back and opened her eyes.

Her hands were clasped around Dean's old leather jacket. She must not have taken it off last night after her and Dean had gotten back to the hotel room. She quickly glanced over at where the boys were sleeping. Sam and Alex's sleeping forms were a welcome sight to her eyes, since she knew that Dean would never be up before Sam. Closing her eyes again, Charlie rolled onto her side and brought the jacket up to her chin like a blanket. She couldn't help but breath deeply and take in all the smells, each reminding her of Dean. There was the very light smell of ash, which reminded her of when she had first met the Winchester boys. She remembered how deeply she had wanted to kill Dean and Sam that night. They _had_ taken her hunt, afterall. Of course, that train of thought brought her to the more complicated thoughts of her feelings for Dean and how she hoped to God that she wasn't misinterperating the changes coming over Dean.

Not wanting the day to get any more emotional than it already was, she dropped her hold on the jacket and slipped out of bed, not wanting to wake any of the other hunters. She grabbed her duffel bag full of clothes and quietly made her way into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. As she sorted through the mismatched clothing in the bag, she couldn't help but smile a little bit as she thought back to about five days after the group had left Moab. All the boys had gone out to a bar so Charlie had the hotel room to herself. She had turned up the radio so loud that she could hear it over the running water in the shower and didn't lock the bathroom door. Just as she had finished clipping on her bra, the bathroom door got pulled open by none other than Dean Winchester. He had raised his eyebrows over her lacy black panties and matching bra before she had a chance to kick him in the groin and slam the door, making sure it was locked this time.

Back in the present, Charlie picked out a simple grey t-shirt and one of her few pairs of worn jeans, before she checked to make sure the door was securly locked. She stripped off her sticky pajamas and stepped into the stream of warm water. She still couldn't get the feeling of the lead vampire's hands all over her body out of her mind. She felt dirty and vulnerable and like she could use protection, something she greatly disliked needing. A part of her never wanted to be close to another guy again, and another part of her mind couldn't help but dwell over the feeling of Dean holding her when he had found her tied in the basement.

Charlie had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the water getting cooler until it had reached freezing. She gave a little yelp of discomfort and quickly turned off the water before stepping out and wrapping a towel around herself. She quickly dried off before wrapping her hair in the towel and getting dressed. She then shook out her hair and combed it out before gathering everything up--throwing the comb and old clothes into the bag--and walking out of the bathroom.

Sam's bed was vacant, Dean was sitting up on the couch, still in just his boxers, and Alex barreled past Charlie into the bathroom. Niether she nor Dean said anything as she set her bag on the table and sat on the end of Sam's bed to pull on her socks and boots. After she was finished, she walked over to the couch and sat down next to Dean.

"So...where's Sam?" Charlie asked, folding her hands in her lap.

"Getting coffee," was Dean's reply. He couldn't help but notice how small the couch was with two people sitting on it. Charlie was sitting so close that he could smell her shampoo. It was pretty and probably some flower that he didn't have a clue what it was. "Hey Charlie..."

"Yeah?" she said quietly, turning her head to watch him as he sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

He turned his head and looked over his shoulder at her. "Maybe you should stay with Sam and Alex this morning."

She knew what he was trying to say and she was glad that he was suddenly becoming so caring, but she needed to get her watersteel cross back. "That's really conciderate of you, Dean, but...I need to go with you."

Dean nodded before leaning into the back of the couch. "I thought as much. But it was a worth a try right?"

"Yeah..." She smiled and nodded once before her train of thought was lost. Dean had turned his face to her and she was lost in those gold speckled eyes. Dean, on the other hand, was having troubles with his heart. Not literately, but it did feel pretty knotted up, full of emotions that he usually didn't let get in the way. There was somthing about Charlie though, something he couldn't really explain.

"You didn't tell them did you?" Charlie said suddenly, finally able to blink and get oxygen to her brain so she could think clearly.

"No, I didn't. I hate not telling your brother but you asked me not to." As he watched her tear her glance from him and focus on her hands, Dean had never wanted her more.

"Thank you, Dean," she said after a moment, trusting herself enough to look at him again. But it wasn't her that she had to worry about, it seemed. Dean lifted his hand to her face and brushed his fingers over her cheek, trailing them down to her chin and pulling her face towards his. Of course, this is the luckless group that we're talking about and just then, both doors in the hotel room opened: Sam through the front and Alex out of the bathroom. The two oldest hunters jumped apart, which was rather difficult because of the size of the couch, but Charlie solved that by standing up.

"Morning, Sam!" she said happily, her smile wide and glowing.

The youngest Winchester smiled back and set down the tray of coffee cups on the wooden table in the room. "Morning, Charlie. It's nice to actually get a happy morning greeting once in a while," he said, looking over at his brother.

"Right. Well, Dean get in the shower," Charlie instructed, leaning around Sam to speak with the other hunter. Dean just raised his eyebrows at her motherly tone before grabbing his bag and heading into the bathroom. "We should try to find another hunt somewhere close," she told the others once the bathroom door clicked closed. "Maybe you two can work on that over breakfast."

Sam nor Alex protested. They noticed that her controling attitude was back, which was probably a good sign, especially after she had been kidnapped by vampires. Of course, neither of them knew what really happened to the woman in the group while she was with the creatures, so neither of them could really know what she was going through. Charlie took up being silent after that, downing her coffee and making sure all of their guns were in the duffel bags as well as making sure nothing else was being left. By the time Dean stepped out of the bathroom, the hotel room looked completely clean except for the pile of duffel bags on the couch and the three people in the room.

"Leaving already?" Dean asked, as he walked over to the table where his leather jacket was folded over a chair back. As he pulled it on, he tried to catch Charlie's eye, but she was busy staring at her boots. He gave up, trying not to look defeated as he stuffed his boxer shorts into his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "Alright. Let's go."

The other three picked up the remaining bags and sent Dean to sign them out of the room. Alex and Charlie's bags went into the Camaro and Sam threw his bags into the Impala's trunk. They all stood quietly, leaning up against the cars as they watched Dean inside the office. It appeared that he was stuck in there, listening to some story the old lady behind the counter was telling. Finally he was able to make his way outside and glared at Sam as he walked to his car and threw his bag in the trunk.

"Never have me sign out if there's an old lady again," he muttered darkly to Sam as he took the Impala's keys out of his pocket.

"Um...so Dean and I have to go pick something up," Charlie said, moving away from her car where she was leaning. "But you two go to breakfast and we'll be by in a few."

"Pick something up?" Alex asked as he caught the keys his sister threw to him. "But what could you be picking up?"

Charlie put her hand on his shoulder and steered him to the driver's side of her car. "Don't ask questions or try to follow us. I'll tell you later." She gave his shoulder a tight squeeze with her fingernails, which caused him to flinch slightly as they dug into his flesh through his faded T-shirt. She gave him a tight smile and let got of his shoulder. Alex didn't say or do anything else besides slip into the drivers seat of the Camaro as Sam got into the other side. Charlie walked around the back of the car to where Dean was standing by the front of the Impala.

"You sure you're coming?" Dean asked as they watched the car pull away.

"Well I didn't go with them, now did I?" Charlie retorted, crossing her arms and glancing up at him. "So, we leaving now or waiting for nothing?"

He looked down at her just as she moved away from the car and walked around the front to the passenger's side. With a weary sigh, Dean walked the few steps to the drivers side door and got into his car. The two didn't speak as Dean started the engine and pulled away from the hotel. Led Zepplin softly flowed through the speakers, making the silence more bareable, although it didn't help settle the two hunter's own thoughts.

Charlie was ususally good at pinpointing her emotions, mostly because she didn't fear them. But this time she was sure that she was scared, something that she didn't like being. She was scared of Dean, naturally, and the mixed feelings she had for him as well as the vibes she got from him. Lately they had been...unlike the Dean she was used to. He didn't seem like the sleep-around kind of guy he had been when she met him just a few months earlier. And her own feelings over him scared her the most. She wanted to let herself be with him; she wanted to trust him, but then the run in with Tristan the vampire leader changed those feelings. She still wanted to just throw herself at Dean, but more of her was scared and holding back. With an exasperated sigh, she ran her hand through her hair and stared out the side window, thinking that not looking at him would keep Dean out of her thoughts, but she was surely wrong.

Dean was having emotional problems himself. He was so used to girls just falling over him, and throwing themselves at him that Charlie deffinitely had him confused. She seemed to almost push him away sometimes, while other times, more lately than earlier, she had been deliberately staying close to him. He was sure that some of it had to do with her experience, but it still didn't clear up the matter. Like earlier this morning; he had been so close to kissing her and he was sure that she wasn't resisting him, and now she was ordering him around and ignoring him. He tried to remind himself what she had been through just the previous day, but he still didn't understand her. Maybe it was just him not being able to read a woman, but somehow he knew that it was more than that. He knew that it had something to do with his own emotions as well as Charlie's. He really had never felt this type of caring for a woman before. Sure he'd felt attracted to many woman, and some more than others, such as Cassie, but there was something about the way that Charlie had somehow wedged herself into his heart and there was nothing that he could do about it than to just work on impulse and the heat of the moment. He just hoped he wouldn't screw something up.

Charlie tensed up in her seat as the vampire nest came into view. She sat up straight and kept her eyes fixed on the house, nearly catapolting out of the car before Dean had a chance to shut off the engine. He swiftly got out of the Impala and met her at the trunk. He took the machete she handed him without a word and noted that her hand hovered slightly over the other before she closed her hand around the handle and grabbed that one out of the trunk as well.

"If you want...you could just get your cross. I'm sure I could handle all of them," Dean stated as she slammed the trunk shut.

Charlie shook her head, staring down at the blade in her hands. "No, Dean. I need to do this more than you do." She looked up at him and her steel grey eyes met with Dean's green ones. He had the strongest urge to just kiss her right there and, unknown to him, she had the same feeling. But both knew that this was deffinitely not the time or place, so instead Dean just nodded and glanced away.

"All right. Let's go." At that, he started walking towards the nest, Charlie following. She had a hard time not letting her mind wander a bit as she followed him, finally giving herself a mental kick and reminding herself that this was a very important case at hand. She was so caught up in trying to keep her thoughts under wraps that she bumped right into him where he stood on the porch.

"Sorry," she mumbled, stepping back and trying to ignore the tingling on every part of her body that had touched Dean's.

He raised an eyebrow, noticing how distracted she seemed. "Right. So you said that they all sleep upstairs?"

She nodded. "Except the leader. He sleeps downstairs."

Dean glanced at the door for a minute, thinking, then back at Charlie. "The first thing we do is move something in front of his door. Then we go upstairs and slaughter the rest of 'em."

Charlie didn't even complain that he was the one who made the plan. It _was_ a good plan after all. "Sounds good to me. After they're dead I'll find my cross."

With a swift nod, Dean turned the door knob as quietly as he could, hoping the door didn't creak when he pushed it open. Charlie stepped in first, making a face at the horrible smell that met her nose. The combination of blood and stale liquor didn't seem to settle with her senses. She pushed the feeling of nausea aside as she swept her eyes around the room. She grabbed Dean's jacket sleeve and pulled him over to her, indicating that the door ahead lead to the head vampire's room. Dean's eyes glinted as a smirk crept onto his face. He walked over to a china cabinet that was full of empty and half-full liquor bottles and motioned that Charlie grab the other side. Together, they moved it in front of the door with as little noise as possible before getting a good hold on their machetes and heading up the stairs. Charlie went up first and it was Dean's turn to try to remind himself that this was a job, not a joy ride. Once upstairs, Charlie stepped into a doorway on the right. Inside was full of vampires. There were nine, five men and four women. Dean walked over to one that was sleeping in an old armchair, his head lolling over the back of it. Dean looked from the undead man in front of him to Charlie, who was still by the doorway. She raised an eyebrow and Dean nodded. Moving to the side of the chair for a better shot, Dean lined himself up, lifted the machete above his head then it came crashing down, neatly severing the head from the neck. Blood spurted everywhere and the slight noise aroused the others. The first to move was the red headed female that had brought Charlie there. Charlie moved swiftly, and in two even steps, Maria was dead, leaving only a bloodstain on the ground and cry that made the others spring from their sleeping places. Red was a blur in the hunters' eyes as they got kicked and clawed, as well as the vampires. Blood splurted everywhere as Dean and Charlie let their own anger take control. The two barely noticed the pain that the vampire's were inflicting on them and finally Charlie killed the last one, his head rolling on the ground as his body slumped to the ground. Dean looked at her from across the room.

"Well that was easy," he said in a slightly light tone as he brought a hand to his ribs where one of the girl vampires had kicked him with her steelito boots.

Charlie just nodded and tried to catch her breath. She could feel blood running down the left side of her face and vaugley remebered her head being smashed into a wall. She wiped her red stained hand on the bottom of her shirt, only to find that it was pretty much covered in blood as well. She looked up at Dean, who just shrugged and walked over to her.

"Ready to find Mr. Big Shot?" he asked, wiping a bloody hand on his ruined shirt.

Charlie nodded grimly and followed Dean out into the hall, noticing that somehow, his leather jacket seemed to be completely devoid of any blood. How had that happened? As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard it. Tristan was trying to get out of his room and was making quite a racket. Charlie and Dean positioned themselves in the living room, ready for him the come out. As soon as the cabinet got thrown aside with a crash as it fell on it's side and all the bottles shattered, the head vampire stepped into the room. Hatred and anger both filled the three sets of eyes in the room.

"So," Tristan said, glancing at the machetes and blood stained clothes of the hunters in front of him. "You're a hunter then."

He was speaking to Charlie and she knew it. She smirked, gripping her blade tighter. "Damn straight, asshole."

"And you killed the others." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah well, they would of just gotten in the way," Dean retorted, his muscles and mind aching to just rip the throat out of the vampire in front of him.

Tristan nodded slowly, his eyes on their blades. "So it doesn't look like I have much of a chance now does it?"

Before either of the hunters could respond, he charged towards Charlie, fangs now filling his mouth. He plowed into her and pinned her against the wall, one hand having a firm grip on her chin, which he turned so that he could get a better shot at her neck. Charlie's heart beat franticly as she tried not to think of the cold hand holding her chin or the freezing finger that was now tracing her jugular.

"And to think that I was actually going to make you one of us," Tristan hissed.

Just then Dean came up behind him and growled, "Let's see what blood type you are, you son of a bitch," before swiftly cut through the vampire's neck, just barely missing Charlie's. The vampire gagged before his head slipped to the side and landed with a thud on the ground. The hand on her chin quickly lost it's grip and the body fell to the side as well. Charlie dropped her machete and brought a hand up to her throat, trying to rid herself of the feeling of Tristan's icy cold hands.

"Are you all right?" Dean asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I thought you were going to cut me open too."

Dean grinned. "Never. Now, we better change before we meet Sam and Alex."

Charlie looked down at her ruined shirt. "Shit. And I forgot to bring some clothes, dammit."

"There are clothes in the back of the Impala," Dean said with a shrug.

"And your point is?"

He just grinned again and walked out of the nest. Charlie followed, shaking her head. When they reached the Impala, Dean threw his spotless jacket into the backseat before opening the trunk and unzipping his clothes bag. He stripped off the shirts, yes plural, that he was wearing and threw them on the ground before fishing through the bag. Charlie had a hard time controling herself as she watched him standing there in the middle of no where wearing just some jeans. But he did find a shirt and pulled it on as well as another on top of that. Then he kicked the bloody shirts away from the Impala and turned to Charlie.

"Take your pick, honey," he said with a smile plastered on his face.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "You. Go sit in the Impala. No peeking." She made sure that he was safely seated behind the wheel before searching for a shirt and stripping off her own and throwing it with Dean's on the ground. Then she pulled on the overly large button up shirt. She hurridly buttoned them up and tried to ignore the smell of Dean on the shirt as she shut the trunk and watched Dean get out of the car.

"You should wear my clothes more often," he said with a sly grin as he picked up a dead branch sitting near the front tire and lit it with his Zippo. He then dropped the flaming sticks on the soiled shirts. They went up in a second and then burned down to nothing once the fabric was gone.

"I'm going back in to get my cross," Charlie said, not giving Dean a chance to say anything before she raced up the stairs to the porch and walked inside the nest. She averted her eyes from the beheaded vampire laying across the living room floor as she searched for her cross. She looked low, sure that it was somewhere in the living room. A slight sparkle under the ripped up couch caught her eye and she got down on her hands and knees and peered under it. There was her cross. She stuck her hand into the dark and pulled it out when her hand came in contact with metal. It felt wonderful to have the metal in her hand again and she walked out of the house with a smile on her face. When she got into the Imapala, Dean looked over at her.

"You find it?"

She held up the cross. "I did. Now I just need to get another chain."

"Let's do that, shall we?" Dean said before putting the Impala into reverse and heading back to town. Once again, there was a silence between them, and again, Led Zepplin eased the tension between them. Charlie started to wonder where they were going when Dean pulled into a jewelery store parking lot.

"Dean? What are we doing?" she questioned as he turned off the motor.

"Getting you another chain. Come on," he said before getting out of the car.

Charlie chuckled slightly as she slipped the cross into her jeans pocket and followed Dean inside. She couldn't help but feel selfconsious about her clothes. Namely, her borrowed shirt. Sure it smelled like Dean and it made it incredibly hard not to jump on him right now, but it didn't do well with the group of weathly looking people who were peering through the glass at expensive jewelery.

"Uh...can I help you, sir?" a middle-aged sales associate asked Dean.

"Yes, actually. I need a chain," Dean said, looking down at the tiny man. "Hey Charlie, come here."

Charlie, who had been staring at the emerald section, walked over to Dean's side.

"Is it for you, miss?" the man asked, trying hard not to stare as Charlie's choice of clothing.

"Yes. Pure silver if you have one. Just something simple," she added.

"Of course." The sales associate walked behind the counter and took a few steps. Dean and Charlie followed, but on the customer side. "What about this?" he asked them, pulling out a chain that was simple and shone like there was no tomorrow.

"Is it pure silver?" Charlie questioned.

The man nodded. "Of course. We only sell the best here, miss."

"Yeah, whatever," Dean mumbled.

"Would you be taking it?" he asked, ignoring Dean.

"Yes," Charlie said, before elbowing Dean in the ribs. Unintentionally, they were the same as the one's the vampire had kicked. He winced slightly, but smoothly grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket and handed the man a credit card.

"I'll be right back then, Mister," he squinted over the name on the card, "Arvidochi."

"Great," Dean said, forcing a smile.

"Geez Dean, that's really expensive," Charlie said, turning over the chain and finding the price tag.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted pure silver."

"It has to be."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you outside," she said quietly as she tried to ignore the glances the other customers were giving her and Dean. After a few minutes, the sales associate came back with the card.

"Here you are, sir," he said, handing it back to Dean along with a reciept. "Now, would you like it wrapped or--"

"No," Charlie interrupted. "I'll take it, thank you."

He just smiled and handed over the chain. She took it with eager fingers, thanked the man again then dragged Dean outside.

"Now tell me why I needed to spend this much money on a chain?" Dean said once they were outside and he looked at the reciept.

"Well it wasn't you, was it, Mr. Arvidochi?" Charlie said with a grin as she slipped into the Impala.

"You're right," Dean said once he closed the door behind him. "But why did it have to be pure silver?"

Charlie sighed. "So that I can put it in holy water, charm it and make sure that supernatural creatures can't touch that either."

Dean just nodded and started the car. "Now can we get breakfast?"

"If Sam and Alex are still there," Charlie replied as he took off.

They made it to the little diner in a few minutes and they both charged inside, hungry from their early hunt. Charlie now doning her watersteel cross on the new chain, even though it wasn't charmed yet.

"Where've you guys been?" Sam asked as soon as they sat down at the table. And it was a table this time, not a booth. The two oldest hunters sat across from one another since the younger ones had set up their computers opposite each other.

"And _why_ are you wearing Dean's shirt?" Alex said almost before Sam was finished.

Charlie just rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think. We went back to the nest."

"What?" Alex hissed, leaning closer to her sister. "Are you _insane_?!"

"No, Alex, I'm not. Not really anyway," she added with a sly grin. "They had my watersteel cross."

"Oh." That was it. He seemed to think that that was explination enough.

"We killed 'em all too," Dean added after the two had ordered a hearty breakfast both.

"All of them?" Sam inquired.

"Yep," Charlie answered before Dean had a chance to. "Did you guys find anything while we were gone?"

"Maybe a lead," Alex answered as the waitress came back to top off their coffees. "A haunted hotel in Wisconsin."

"Wisconsin?" Charlie exclaimed.

"Couldn't you've found something closer?" Dean continued.

"It's the closest we could find," Sam replied. "And it's not _that_ far. Just a days ride, really."

"Where in Wisconsin?" Charlie asked as her and Dean's food was brought over.

"Readstown," Alex stated. "It's not far from the border of Iowa. So Sam's right. About a day's ride if we all split up the driving."

Charlie glanced around the table at the three boys in her life. "Alright. Sounds fine to me."

"What about me?" Dean put in.

"You already made too many discisions today, Dean. Now I'm back in charge," Charlie told him with a smug grin on her face.


	17. Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!

Chapter Seventeen: Nightmare

Two hours away from Readstown, the two cars switched passengers. Sam joined Alex in Charlie's Camaro and Charlie joined Dean in his Impala. They only changed because Charlie was tired and her car was too small to fall asleep in and be somewhat comfortable. As soon as they started driving again, Charlie had fallen into a light sleep. Dean kept the radio low and constantly looked over at her, confused at the thoughts that were swirling around in his mind.

He told himself that with anyone he would have been angry about what the vampires had done to Charlie. But he didn't think he'd go charging out in the middle of the night to fight them for just anyone. He ran a hand through his hair and glanced over at Charlie. She looked so peaceful and innocent when she slept, a major opposite of how she was when she was awake. She was just as beautiful though.

Dean had to tear his eyes from her and kept them on the road for the next half an hour. His thoughts drifted from Charlie for a little bit and settled on his dad. The boys hadn't heard anything from John in months and it was really starting to bother Dean. He knew that he'd be able to tell if his dad was dead; he was sure that he would be able to feel it. And he hadn't yet, so maybe John was caught up on the hunt for the demon that killed Mary. That must be it.

Finally the four reached Readstown and Dean pulled into a parking spot next to Alex and Sam. He turned off the engine and then turned in the seat to face Charlie. She was sleeping so peacefully that he didn't want to wake her, and the sun now gleaming through the window made it look like she had a halo. She look angelic. With a sigh, he leaned forward and put a hand around her forearm. He squeezed it softly and said, "Charlie, wake up."

It took Charlie a moment to figure out that the words being spoken to her weren't in the dream she was having. But they fit so perfectly! The slight touch on her arm made her realized that it was real, and that she had to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Dean. The sun coming through the window lit his face so that all the harshness was driven away. She smiled slightly and fought the urge to put her hand behind his head, pull him closer and kiss him. Little did she know, Dean was having the same trouble trying not to just lean a few more inches closer and kiss her.

A tap on the passenger side window got their attention and Dean straightened up and slid out of the car without another word. Charlie sat up slowly and glared at Alex who was standing by her door. He always had to interrupt her and Dean at the worst times. She ran her hands quickly through her hair before getting out of the car and softly shutting the door. She blinked a few times against the sun then turned around to look over the roof of the Impala and to the small town they had stopped in. She raised an eyebrow and turned around the face the three men who were standing around, stretching from the long drive.

"This is it?" she asked as she put her arms over her head and pulled them to either side. That was about all the stretching she needed anyway; her shoulders always hurt her more than the rest of her body.

Dean's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the little strip of skin that showed as Charlie stretched. And he was sure that Alex noticed too. Dean cleared his throat and glanced passed Sam to the small building they were parked next too. "I guess it is," he replied, just noticing that the building was some sort of little diner. "But I say we get food first." Not waiting for any reply, he walked passed all of them and towards the building. The three others followed and followed Dean inside.

The diner was white and turquiose and had a bar to sit at facing the grill, as well as a dozen booths. A plump lady in her mid-forties came over, dressed in a uniform that matched the colors of the building. "Hi, folks. Four?" she asked in a cheerful Wisconsin accent. Charlie nodded and the hunters followed her to a booth. Charlie slid in one side and Alex quickly sat next to his sister leaving the Winchesters to sit on the other side.

After they all ordered some brunch, the four were unconventionally silent. And Charlie hated silence. She also couldn't stop her eyes from drifting from the window to Dean, who was right across from her. Her simaltaniously tapped her tongue ring on her teeth and drummed her fingers on the table top. Dean looked up from the table top her was studying, but Charlie was looking out the window again. Finally, she couldn't take it and slammed her hands on the table. None of them jumped, but it got their attentions. Dean raised his eyebrows, but she ignored him, turning to Alex and Sam instead.

"So what's the deal?" she asked the two 'geeks'.

"Its an abandoned hotel here in town," Sam started. Alex sat back in the booth and let the youngest Winchester tell the tale. "Fifty years ago, a woman posing as a prostitute got a room with a client."

"How do you know she was just posing?" Dean asked, in a slightly less than professional way.

Sam just rolled his eyes and continued. "She leaves in the middle of the night and the next morning, the man's found dead in the room. Throat slashed."

"So it's his spirit?" Charlie asked, not really understanding. Why would the spirit wait fifty years to show up again?

"We're not sure," Sam said, pausing as their food got brought over. Dean and Alex started right in like starving dogs, but Sam and Charlie didn't touch their food. "Over the next forty years, the same thing happened. Prostitute comes and leaves during the night. The next morning a dead man is found."

Charlie furrowed her brows. This was already confusing. "Alright...so what do you think?"

"It's some sort of possesser demon," Alex said quietly between mouthfuls of food. "It lays low for five years before it possesses another girl and does the same thing. After eight deaths the same way, they closed down the hotel and built a new one. Now the abandoned one is supposidly still holding in the demon somehow. There have been rumors in the last five years about it being haunted, so kids go in to check it out. None have made it out alive."

Charlie swallowed the bit of pancake she had stuffed in her mouth as her brother talked. "Damn, that's great. What do we do then? Excersise it?"

Both of the younger hunters nodded and the four continued eating in silence. Alex was already feeling guilty, even though he hadn't told Charlie of their plan yet. If he got her killed, he would never forgive himself and he would never be able to face their mother again. After they finished eating, they went back outside to the cars. They stood between the two and just then Charlie figured out what the plan was.

"Wait a fucking minute," she said quietly, the realization coming to her. She looked up at her brother. "How are we going to excersise it, Alex? A possesser demon has to be in a host body for that to work!"

Just as she said that, Dean realized what she was getting at. He looked from Charlie to his brother. "Sam," he said, his voice deep and threatening.

"Charlie just calm down," Alex was saying. "I won't let anything happen--"

"Oh no?! And why didn't you two tell me this before I willing came here to town? I thought it was a simple salt-and-burn job, but no!" She was livid. Shaking from anger, she stabbed a finger into her brothers chest at every next word. "I. Have. To. Be. Bait!"

Before any one of the guys could say anything else, she pushed passed them and got into her car, slamming the door closed behind her. She stuck the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. She jammed it into reverse and then slammed on the gas, blasting out of the parking lot and onto the road. She was out of site in moments.

Dean turned to Sam, anger filling his eyes. "How could you not tell me! This is a stupid plan, Sam."

"Dean, its the only plan we've got," Sam told his brother calmly. "Look, do you want this demon to keep possessing and killing people?"

Dean glared at his brother before turning on his heel and opening the Impala's door. "Get in," he barked before getting inside. Sam and Alex wordlessly got into the car and they were all silent as Dean drove to the newly built hotel. Charlie's Camaro wasn't there, but he doubted that it would be. She would probably come back later, after she blew off some steam.

The guys got a hotel room with two queens--luckily, only Sam went inside. If the three of them had, the lady behind the desk would have certainly been giving them odd looks. Once back outside, Dean got silently back into the car and pulled into a spot in front of the hotel room. He then put it in park and kept his hands on the wheel, staring out the windshield.

"Dean," Sam said from the passenger seat.

"No, Sam," Dean barked, still not moving. "Just go inside."

Sam opened his mouth to protest, but shut it before he could say anything. With a quick glance at Alex in the back seat, the two younger men got out of the car. As soon as the doors were shut, Dean backed up and started back to the center of town. It was eleven thirty, so the bars would be opening soon. He pulled into one just on the edge of town. Built of wood with a simple neon sign above the door, it looked like his kind of place. Parking the Impala, he got out and walked up the few steps inside. There were only a few people inside: a woman behind the bar, a few older men playing poker, and two girls in their early twenties playing pool. Normally, Dean would have been on those girls fast as lightning, but not today. Instead, he walked to the bar and sat down on a stool. The woman walked over.

"Beer doesn't start til noon, hunny," she told him with a small smile. She had kind eyes and an accent that sounded like it was from Texas.

Dean looked at her, but didn't match her smile. "Yeah, well, I'm just waiting for someone."

"All right," she said with a little nod. "If you need anything." Then she walked away, out from behind the bar then through a swinging door.

Dean stared down at his hands and twirled the ring on his finger. He wasn't completely positive that Charlie would show up here, but how pissed she had been when she left and knowing what type of bars she liked, Dean guessed that she'd come here. And he would wait, because he sure as hell knew that she wasn't going to head to the hotel anytime soon.

Half an hour later, he got a draft beer and the two girls playing pool asked him to a game. He wasn't blind to their flirtatious manner, but his mind was elsewhere. He even lost a game and owed them twenty bucks. Once twelve thirty came around, Dean was just sitting back down at the bar to order another beer when people started to show up. Only a handful, but they were all rough looking men and Dean wondered suddenly if this was a hunter's bar. It sure did have that feel to it. But what did he know?

Half-way through his second beer, the front door swung open and in walked the one person he'd been looking for. He felt full of some emotion he wasn't used to when he saw all the men in the room turn to look at her and some didn't take their eyes away from her. Was it...jealous? No it couldn't...but why did he feel so smug when she sat on the stool next to him.

"A beer please," she ordered.

"Make it two," Dean added. The woman nodded and poured them two glasses and set them down in front of them. She gave them a small smile before turning to her other customers. The two hunters sat in silence for a while. Dean had just finished off his second when Charlie spoke.

"Did you know?"

He turned to her, and was met with a grim faced girl whose steel grey eyes were full of too much emotion. "No." And he wasn't lying. "I would have told you."

A soft clinking sound was heard as she tapped her tongue ring against the back of her teeth and looked down into the amber liquid in her glass. "I would have been okay with it if they'd told me."

Dean nodded slightly, taking a drink of his untouched beer. Guns 'n' Roses 'Civil War' came over the jukebox and he listened to the lyrics for a few lines before answering. "I'd be pissed too. Hell, I am."

"You are?" she asked, looking over at him with a small smile on her face. He had no clue how good it was to hear that someone was on her side. And it being Dean just made it all the better. If the circumstances didn't envolve her being so pissed, she would have probably done something about her attraction to him already.

"Shit yeah. Sam and I make decisions together. If we never did that, we'd both be dead by now," he replied, looking right into her eyes and not shifting his gaze.

Charlie was shocked at how intense Dean's eyes were. She had never really looked at them before, afraid that if she did, she'd do something she'd regret. She knew all about Dean Winchester. He was a heartbreaker, lived on one night stands and her mother had warned her about him. She never understood why until she had met him. The instant she had seen him in that old house back in North Dakota when he and Sam took her gig from her, she had found herself uncontrollably attracted to him. The way they fought all the time covered up her feelings most of the time, until lately. She'd let herself get vulnerable, something that she wasn't. She couldn't be, doing a job like this. And yet she had been more vulnerable since Sam had had that vision of Dean dying and she realized how much she did care for Dean, than she had the whole rest of her life. She was never a vulnerable girl. Sure, Alex made sure no one touched her, but she could fully well punch someone out if they did mess with her. And yet, here she was, a grown woman, falling head over heals for the one man no one should ever fall for. "If that had happened, I think it might have ruined my life," she said quietly, staring intently into his eyes.

Dean was taken aback by her reply. It wasn't what he had expected. Sure, Sam had told him that Charlie cared for him, but he didn't exactly realize it until just then. He wasn't sure what to say, but the way she still looked into his eyes was like a challenge and he desperately wanted a kiss to be the prize. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, he phone rang. "Dammit," he hissed, turned away from Charlie and pulling his phone out. "Yeah?"

"It's Sam."

"What do you want?" he asked, glancing over at Charlie, who was taking a drink.

"Did you find Charlie?"

"Yeah."

"Look, we need to deal with this hunt tonight, Dean. Please, just talk to her."

"I will." Then he hung up. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned to Charlie. She had an odd little expression on her face. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it was cute. "What?"

"Was that Sam?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

She shrugged. "Just a guess." She bit her bottom lip, her eyes glancing around the room, finally settling on Dean. "I'm going to do it anyway."

"Do what?"

"Be bait. Like Alex said, it's the only way we can kill this son of a bitch," she replied, sounding like the Charlie he was used to. She quickly finished off her beer and set it down on the bar before standing up. "Coming?"

"Now?" he asked, not really wanting to leave. He wasn't sure when the next time he'd be able to be with her without their little brothers. She nodded and started towards the door. "Great," he mumbled, chugging the rest of his beer before throwing down some money and following her outside.

"So I'm guessing we're at the newly build hotel, right?" she asked, opening the door of her Camaro which she parked right next to the Impala.

"You guess right," Dean said, just before seeing her disappear inside her car. She backed up and started off, while she just watched her go. He was never going to be able to figure her out. She was so unexpected, her moods changed like a light switch, and he was completely into her. Shaking his head slightly, he opened up the drivers side door and got inside.

Xxxxxxx

Ten o'clock that night, the four hunters crept into the old hotel. They had come by earlier, after Charlie and Dean came back to the hotel, and drawn a devil's trap under a worn rug. They were going to put Charlie in it, let the demon possess her, then excersise it. None of them liked the idea much, especially Charlie, but she knew that it was the only way they could send this demon back to hell. Charlie hadn't spoken more than three sentences to anyone since she got back. She told Alex and Sam that she'd deal with them later. And both men were scared at how exactly she was going to 'deal' with them.

They all got in their positions: the boys hiding in various places and Charlie sitting in the middle of what used to be a party room. She didn't have any weapon on her and had to take off her watersteel necklace so that she was able to get possessed. She had given it to Dean without a word before she moved to sit cross-legged in the middle of the room. A devil's trap was hidden under the carpet and everything would start as soon as the demon showed itself.

Suddenly there was a loud noise from another room; it sounded almost like laughter, but it was strangely evil and sent chills down all of their backs. Sam glanced over at his brother and Alex and nodded. With that, he took his rocksalt loaded gun and holy water container and started down the dark hall. Suddenly a chill hit the party room and the demon they were looking for showed up. It was odd, seeing a big black smokey shape in the shape of an actual human. It had no features, but it definitely was shaped like a human body. It just stood there, facing Charlie and the hiding Alex and Dean. After a minute, it slowly brought up a smokey arm and closed its odd fingers in a fist. There was a loud crack and the floor split, breaking the devil's trap. Before either men could raise their weapons, the demon forced itself into Charlie's body, and the hunter's mind went blank. The plan had taken a turn for the worse.

Dean and Alex stumbled onto their feet and into the room, pointing the guns at the demon, but it wasn't there. And Charlie's eyes were shiny black. The boys didn't drop their weapons and didn't move out of the doorway.

Charlie smirked. "Now, now, don't you know it's not nice to point guns at ladies?" The voice was hers, but it sounded evil. With a wave of her hand, she sent the weapons flying into the walls. Both the boys cursed just before she pinned them to the walls with some sort of demonic force. They struggled against it but couldn't budge. With an evil smile, Charlie walked over to where she had sent the guns. She picked both of them up then turned, facing the men.

"How did you know about the devil's trap?" Alex asked, still struggling. It wasn't an easy task and hurt like hell, but neither of the hunters were going to go down without a fight.

Charlie shrugged, making a motion as if to roll her eyes. "He warned me you were smart. And leaving this girl here was a perfect little bait." She grinned. "And I have to admit that she is one of the better bodies I've possessed." Both of them struggled against their invisible holds. "Boys, what's the use of struggling? It will only make your deaths more painful." She paused, thinking. "Then again, struggle all you want."

"Who the hell told you about the devil's trap?" Dean had trouble yelling at her; she was still Charlie after all.

She slowly walked up to him so that they were inches apart. "And why should I tell you that?" Suddenly there was a scream that echoed down the hall. Dean's face fell and he started struggling harder.

"Sam! Sammy!" he yelled. He heard a gunshot and then nothing. "Bitch!" he hissed at the demon in front of him. "What happened to my brother?"

"Oh, he'll be fine...if he lives," she added with a little laugh. She stepped back and took in the site of both of them. Suddenly, Charlie herself came awake from whatever sort of unconcious place she had been in. She saw the scene in front of her, but was powerless to do anything about it. Dean yelled for his brother again and Alex started struggling against his holds. The demon was getting annoyed with him. She turned and raised her gun, shooting him in the shoulder. Charlie screamed on the inside as she watched her brother helpless to defend himself against the raging demon. Alex bit his bottom lip, trying to stop from yelling out. The demon then turned to face Dean, who had finally stopped yelling for Sam. He glared at her.

"Where is my brother?" he hissed.

"Oh, now you care about your brother?"

Dean struggled against his holds. "Bitch!"

"Now, we don't want you to wear that out." She paused, as if remembering something. "Ah, I have to run, but before I go..." Charlie felt herself raise her arm and pull back the hammer. She had no control over it and yet she could feel the demon's thoughts as well as her own. It wanted her to kill Dean. A bullet to the heart. And she was fighting it. She wouldn't. No matter if she died or the demon made her shoot herself before it left, Charlie wouldn't kill Dean. The demon was pushing her, almost too hard. Her finger pressed against the trigger and it felt like she was fighting a war she couldn't win. The demon pressed the trigger but Charlie--with great difficulty--jerked her arm to the side so that the bullet implanted in the wall next to Dean's head. The demon hissed in her mind, but suddenly a sharp pain filled Charlie's head and she fell to her knees, the dark demon cloud spewing out of her mouth. It disappeared as soon as it exited Charlie's body and she felt exhausted. Alex let out a groan as he fell to the floor and instantly reached up to grab his bleeding shoulder. Charlie slowly looked up and saw Dean standing there.

"Are you okay?" It was a stupid question, he knew. She had just been possessed, shot her brother and very nearly shot him. He wasn't too sure how long Charlie had been awake during her possession, but being awake for any of it would be horrible.

Charlie shrugged slightly. "I think I still have to get over the fact that I shot my brother." She struggled to stand up, feeling like her body belonged to someone else. Dean grabbed her arm and helped her up. He then took her hand and pulled her watersteel necklace out of his pocket and placed it in her hand. She looked up at him and smiled, closing her fingers around the cold metal.

"Sam," Alex said weakly. And a suddenly concerned and worried look came over Dean's face as he rushed out of the room and down the hall. "Sam!" he yelled, even though he knew that his brother wasn't there. Squeezing his eyes shut, he rested a hand on the hotel wall and thought back to the many time his father had told him to watch out for his brother. "I'll never let anything happen to you. You're my brother." he had told Sam many times. And what was this? He wasn't able to protect his brother. Sam was God knows where and...he stopped thinking for a minute as he felt something under his fingers. He brought his hand closer to his face and rubbed his fingers together. "Sulfur," he whispered, before turned and rushing back to the room where Charlie and Alex were.

"It was a demon," he proclaimed as Charlie helped Alex up. Alex could barely stand with Charlie's help but he managed to say, "Didn't the demon say that she was told about the devil's trap by another demon?"

"Only a really strong demon could detect something like that, Dean," Charlie stated as Dean leaned down to gather the two guns that Charlie had dropped.

A shadow crossed his eyes and he nodded. "I know."

"Do you think it was the demon that killed your mom?" she asked softly, as she started to help Alex to the doorway.

"It must have been," Dean said darkly as he helped the two out. Charlie got Alex into her car then got right in herself, starting off towards the hotel. But Dean stood with the door open of the Impala and looked at the boarded up building. He couldn't help but feel like he was leaving his brother behind; that if he searched a little more, he could find Sam in there. But he knew that his brother was no where inside. With a heavy heart, he slipped into the Impala and started driving back to the hotel, his mind anywhere but with driving.

Xxxxxxx

Once back at the hotel, Charlie had dug out the bullet in Alex's shoulder and bandaged him up right before he crashed on one of the beds. Charlie started tidying up and noticed that Dean was quiet. She hadn't been awake when the demon was talking about Sam, so she didn't know what really had happened. She knew that Sam was gone, but that was it. She let Dean take the other bed because he needed more than she did. But for an hour or so, she laid awake on the couch, staring at the ceiling and thinking about how screwed up this whole thing was. She gets possessed, Sam disappears and they didn't have any idea where he was; just that the yellow-eyed demon had him. Finally she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Xxxxxxx

The next morning, Charlie got woken up by her cell phone ringing. Cursing, she reached over to the coffee table and felt around for her phone. Not opening her eyes, she flipped open the phone. "Hello?" she said groggily.

"Yes, is this Charlotte Winters?" a deep man's voice came over the line.

"Yes," she said, slightly confused. "Who is this?"

"Miss Winters, I'm Dr. Taylor," the man continued. "You were listed as the only contact for your mother, Hellen."

Mom? she thought, still half asleep. "Why? What happened?"

"Your mother got into a car accident."

"What?" she said softly, the words not making sense.

"It was a head on collision. Mrs. Winters broke both her legs, but there is a good chance that she will walk again. I was calling to ask if either you or...Alexander could come back to Kentucky just until your mother gets better."

The words swam in Charlie's head. "Yeah. Yeah, we'll come as soon as we can."

"All right, Miss Winters. Thank you for your time." Then he hung up.

Charlie slowly closed her phone and finally opened her eyes. The ceiling above her had been re-sheetrocked because there were two colors of paint on the ceiling. Her mother got into a car accident...they had to go back. Charlie still wasn't making sense of all of this. With a sigh, she stood up and grabbed her duffel bag before glancing over at the two sleeping men. Dean looked like he had a rough night and Alex's bandage was bleeding. She shook her head. Their lives had taken a turn for the worse last night and she felt like it was her fault.

After a cool shower to get her awake, she started blow drying her hair, knowing that the noise would probably wake up the boys, but they needed to get up anyway. The three of them had to figure out what they had to do. Find Sam...but then Charlie thought of her mother and she turned off the blow dryer. She rested her hands on either side of the sink and bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Charlie?" Her brother's sudden voice made her stand up quickly and take a deep breath. "Hey, is everything okay?"

Charlie hadn't even begun to think how she would break the news to Alex. Slowly, she shook her head. "Sit," she told him, pointing to the toilet. He did as he was told and she reached into her duffel bag and brought out her little first aid kit. She pulled off the bloody bandage from his shoulder and washed the wound, shushing him when he started complaining. "Stop being such a baby," she scolded, as she brought out another bandage and wrapped up his shoulder. Before she could move to put everything away, he grabbed her wrist.

"Charlie, what's wrong?" Alex asked, looking up at his sister. The look in her eyes told her that something was wrong and it was more than just from being possessed by that demon the previous night.

Blinking back tears, Charlie sank down and sat on the edge of the bathtub. "It's Mom. A doctor called me this morning and said she got into an accident. He asked if we could come back." A few loose tears trailed down her cheeks and she felt Alex's comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?" he asked, sounding calm so that he wouldn't freak her out anymore. She seemed to be holding a lot back from him lately, so maybe things with her were worse that he had thought.

"It was a head on collision," Charlie told him in a shaky voice. "She broke both her legs but the doctor said that there was a good chance she would walk again if we were there to help her through it."

"Jesus Christ," Alex said under his breath. The words sank in hard and he didn't know what to think. "We'll leave today."

Charlie nodded, not even disagreeing or making an argument. She stood up and grabbed her duffel bag, shoving all the bandages and things into it. "I'll let you take a shower." She walked into the room and saw that Dean was up, laying in bed and staring at the ceiling just as she had been. She dropped her bag next to the coffee table and went to sit on the edge of Alex's bed so that she was facing Dean. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey." It sounded like he was close to crying. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't a clue how it felt to turn your back away from your brother for a minute and the next thing you knew, he was somewhere, anywhere, with a demon that the two had been hunting their whole entire lives. Dean was glad that she didn't say anything because it would have stopped him from saying what he did next. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. "I always told him that I'd look after him, that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him," he started. "But I lied to him. We should have planned better and..." he paused as his vision got blurry. He ran a hand over his face. "And this wouldn't have happened."

"Dean," Charlie said softly, feeling her heart breaking for him. "No one could have known that the two demons were working together. Even if we had planned more...this wasn't something that we could see coming." She bit her lip, feeling like this was as much her fault as anyone's. She was the one who had got possessed. She agreed to that stupid plan even when every instict told her not to let that happen. Something would go wrong, and guess what? It did.

"Yeah," Dean said, looking up at her. His eyes were clear now, filled with anger and guilt. "I guess you're right. But I made my dad a promise and I made Sam a promise. And I'm going to get him back."

Xxxxxxx

After they had all taken showers, they went out for breakfast. And Charlie broke the news to Dean. She and Alex were going back to Kentucky to see their mother. She hated adding to his burden by them leaving, but what else could they do? And he said he understood; family was important. That's why he wasn't going to sleep until he found where Sam was. Their mother needed them.

So here the three of them were. The Impala was parked in an empty parking lot off the main road and the Camaro was packed and had it's headlights facing the way back to their home. Alex and Dean shook hands and Alex told Dean that he'd keep his eyes open for things that would help with Sam. Dean thanked him before he gave Charlie a small smile and went to wait for her in the passenger's seat.

That left Charlie and Dean. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and she had her arms crossed. She stared down at her feet and scuffed her boot on the pavement. "So I guess this is goodbye," she said softly, not wanting him to here her voice loud and clear. She knew that she would start crying the minute she had her back to him, but she couldn't yet.

"I guess it is," he replied. And he had never wanted someone to stay as much as he wanted her to stay. Sure, he had wanted his dad to stay with him and not leave him because hunting was such a dangerous job that who knows when you could get killed. And Dean really didn't want her to go. He felt...connected with her.

Charlie bit her bottom lip and looked up at him. His eyes were begging with her not to go and she didn't want to. She wanted to stay with him and never leave, but her mother needed her. She smiled sadly before reaching a hand behind his neck and pulling him down until their lips met. She didn't like to make commitments and she could have left things as they were, but that kiss felt so right. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough. She broke off the kiss and brought her other arm around him in a tight embrace. "I'll miss you," she whispered, close to tears. He pulled her close and closed his eyes, afraid that he'd start crying. Loosing Sam and now her leaving was almost too much for him. They didn't stay that way for long, but it was enough. She pulled away from him and gave him another sad smile, her eyes now watering, before she turned on her heel and walked towards her car. Dean watched her go, leaning up against the side of the Impala. Once she closed the door behind her, she let out a quiet sob. She felt Alex's hand squeeze her shoulder but she didn't respond. Instead she started the engine and pulled away from the curb, watching Dean getting smaller and smaller in her rear view mirror. Her sight was almost too blurry for her to drive, but it was a straight road so she was alright. As soon as a tear or two slid down her cheeks, she brushed it away.

Alex hated seeing his sister so upset. He guessed that he really hadn't realized how much she was head over heels for Dean. Alex had never been so crazy over a girl before in his life, but then again, he spent so much time around his sister, that girls always thought they were a couple since they didn't look like twins. So Alex couldn't truly understand how heartbreaking it was for Charlie to leave Dean, but he sure as hell wasn't going to make her ruin something good. "Charlie, you can stay."

She jerked on the breaks so fast that he almost hit the dashboard. Her hands gripped the wheel and she didn't look away from the windshield. "What?" she asked quietly.

"You can stay. Stay with Dean, help him find Sam. I can take car of Mom. She'll understand, Charlie, she really will," Alex told his sister. Everything he said was true and he just hoped that she'd have enough sense to say yes.

Charlie tapped her tongue ring against her teeth as she thought. All she could think of was that look in Dean's eyes that morning when he woke up and then how she felt whens he kissed him. Making a decision, she turned the face Alex. "Are you sure?" He nodded and she smiled. "I love you, Alex. You are the best brother a girl could ever ask for." He gave her a smile as she stepped out of the car and walked around to the trunk to get her bag. Alex got out and she gave him a hug before she turned around and started walking back towards Dean. She heard Alex shut the car door, but he didn't drive forward and she didn't even care.

Dean was slightly confused when he saw the sudden break lights and then Charlie coming out of the car. When she grabbed her bag, he felt his heart jump into his throat and he started walking towards her down the road. He felt like he was fifteen again, yet he didn't bother to act like his 'normal' self. They met halfway and Charlie dropped her bag on the asphault before she threw her arms around him. He held her tightly, his spirits soaring. Finally the broke apart, but he still held her forearms. He kept her at arms length and just looked at her. Her eyes were a little puffy from crying and he was surprised that he hadn't started yet. "Does this mean that you're staying?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to help you get Sam back, Dean. It's my fault he's gone. If I hadn't gone along with the plan--" She got cut off as Dean put a hand behind her head and kissed her, deep and meaningful. Well, maybe there was more than one reason why she was staying. And just then, she heard Alex pulling away, on towards their home.

Xxxxxxx

Back at the hotel, the two spent the rest of the day pouring over the internet on Sam's laptop for anything that seemed like it could help them find Sam. They went out and got food periodicly and both were sick of seeing orange jack-o-lantern stickers everywhere and Halloween decorated yards. Halloween was three days away, but still, knowing that the veil between the living and dead thinned during that one night of the dead, it made both of the hunters uneasy.

By the time midnight rolled around, they had come up with nothing. Charlie was still pouring over the computer and Dean was sprawled out on his back on his bed, sleeping. Charlie's eyes focused on the time and decided to pick up with the search the next morning. She quietly shut down the computer and then shut the screen. She was too tired to change out of her jeans and tank top, so she just pulled off her boots and was about to crawl into what had been Alex's bed when she changed her mind. With a little smile to herself, she laid down on top of the covers next to Dean, who had also been too tired to change. She cuddled up next to him and was surprised to feel him turn onto his side and put an arm around her and pull her close. She wasn't sure if he was sleeping or awake, but either way, it didn't matter.

Xxxxxxx

Sam woke up and couldn't see a thing. Everything was black. The last things he could remember was heading into another room in the hotel and then seeing a man standing there. When he turned, Sam saw that his eyes were a weird yellow, with darker yellow lines through them. He got thrown against the wall just as he set off a shot and let out a yell. He heard Dean yell for him just before everything went dark.

And here he was, in the dark again. His back was against a wall, and he felt behind him as he slowly stood up. He blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness but they didn't. He put his hand in front of his face, his palm touching his nose and he couldn't even see that. Suddenly he was scared and he sank back to the floor, thinking of Dean and Charlie and Alex, who were the only one's who could save him.

A/N: Whoa! My longest chapter yet and I'm extremely proud of it. I've had this going on in my head since like the third chapter and I think it came out just the way I wanted it to. So please comment and tell me what you think.


	18. New Task

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Eighteen: New Task**

Sun shining through the curtains fell across Dean's face. He was about to roll over, but found that he couldn't. Opening his eyes a crack, he saw that Charlie's head was resting on his chest and she was pushed up close to him. At another time, he would have never found himself in a situation like this. No, he would have just done her and left, just like he did to all of the other girls he'd met during his life time. But Charlie was different. He had let himself grow to care for her, something that he would have never done after Cassie. He had made that mistake with her, but for some reason, Dean didn't think that it was a mistake with Charlie. She seemed so innocent as he looked down at her face, but he knew that her life was far from perfect. From the little bit she knew about her past, to what he had learned about her stay with the vampires, Charlie was the opposite of innocent. In spite of himself, he brought his arm around her shoulders and made little circles on her shoulder with his thumb.

"If you're trying to get me to sleep with you, I kind of am," she mumbled, not opening her eyes.

Dean smiled slightly. "I wasn't."

"And I believe you," she said with a sigh as she slowly sat up. Dean's arm dropped from her shoulders, but his hand stayed on the small of her back. She stretched her arms over her head and could feel him watching her. She dropped her arms and looked down at him. "I need some coffee. Do you want to get it?"

As much as both of them wanted to forget the whole reason this sudden relationship had happened, it was time to face the facts. They had to find out where Sam was. They needed to get him before something happened. With a little groan, Dean sat up and quickly stood. He stretched, running a hand through his hair. "I'll get it," he told her, leaning down to grab his boots and pull them on. Charlie stayed sitting on the bed, watching him. She couldn't believe she'd let herself fall for him. He was the prime example of the type of guy her mother never wanted her to date.

Of course, she wasn't exactly _dating_ him now was she? No, hunters didn't _date_. Usually they met their signifcant other on a hunt of some sort and then learned to care for each other by hunting. Or, if the situation was different, the two had met the _normal _way with dinner and a movie, but suddenly had something tragic happen in their lives that made them turn to hunting. But either way, once you're a hunter, dates aren't exactly what you have your mind on.

She watched him leave before running a hand through her hair and moving to the table to boot up Sam's laptop. As she waited for it to turn on, she went into the bathroom to splash some cool water on her face. Her life had never been simple, but things had just gotten more and more confusing and complicated. She looked at herself in the mirror, wondering what she was getting herself into. She could only imagine how hard this must be on Dean. Loosing a brother like this, not knowing where he was...Charlie was sure that she wouldn't be able to handle that if it was Alex.

Walking back into the room, she sat in front of the laptop and got onto the internet when her phone rang. Sighing, she got up and walked over to the nightstand between the two beds in the room. The caller ID said it was Alex. Normally she would have been joyed to hear from her brother, since they were away from each other, but her mind was on other things.

"Hello?" she answered, making her way back to the laptop.

"Hey, Charlie."

Charlie's eyes widen as her mother's usually strong voice came over the line shakily. "Mom? Are you alright?" She then cursed herself out for asking such a thing. Hellen had just gotten into a car wreck and broken both her legs. Of course she wasn't alright.

"I'm sure I will be," Hellen replied. "It's good to see Alex though. He told me that you stayed behind."

Charlie bit her lip, her eyes blindly staring at the glowing screen in front of her. "Yeah I'm looking for someone."

"What sort of someone?"

"Not a sort, Mom," Charlie corrected. It made sense that her mother would ask something like that. "A friend of mine...he went missing."

There was a slight silence on the other side of the line, but Charlie could hear her mother breathing. "Alex told me about you two traveling with the Winchesters."

Charlie closed her eyes, remembering how her mother had warned her and Alex about Dean and Sam. "Yeah, Mom. And Sam he...went missing."

"And you're staying with Dean?"

"I-I'm..." she trailed off. She didn't know what her mother was getting at. Was she mad? Charlie couldn't tell because Hellen's voice was so soft, due to her being injured.

"Just be careful, alright, Charlie? You're my girl and I worry about you."

Charlie smiled slightly. "Really? You're not mad or anything?"

Hellen chuckled slightly. "Mad? Charlie, you're a grown woman now. I just want to make sure you do what's in your heart."

Charlie, once again, started nawing on her bottom lip. What had following her heart gotten her so far? A bunch of heartache, chasing after Dean while he was off with some chicks from bars and now this. She didn't even know what _this _was. She could only remember what it felt like to have Dean pull her close and kiss her and having his arms around her all night. "Alright, Mom," she said. "Well you should get some rest. I'll call to check in on you later alright?"

After she hung up with her mother, Charlie turned her attention towards the computer screen. It was time to find Sam.

Xxxxxxx

Sam didn't know how long he had been sitting there in the darkness, not knowing what was going on, where he was, and if Dean and the others were alright. Not much scared Sam. Sure, once he got back into the job, the hunting had started to get to him. It didn't seem to bother Dean, but he hadn't had two years to get away from it and live a normal life. Which meant Jess. Having nothing to do but simmer in his own thoughts, Sam let them drift to a subject he usually steered away from.

What if he had told her? What difference would that have made? Would she had left him, thinking he was insane? That would have kept her alive. But what if she had thought he was telling the truth and wanted to learn to hunt? Would he have let her learn? Would he have let her put herself in danger like that? He often wondered if that would have kept her safe. If she knew, he would have lined the house with salt, making sure that no demons could get inside. Maybe then she'd be alive.

Suddenly, what seemed to be a door opened a few yards to the Sam's right. All he could see was a bright light, blinding him. And it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. As he tried to piece together what just happened, he heard slight sobbing. Someone was in the room now. Putting two and two together, Sam guessed that they had just been thrown into the room by whatever or whoever had opened the door.

"Are you alright?" he heard himself ask, his voice harsh from unuse.

The sobbed stopped for a minute, turning into chocked hiccups. "Who--who's there? Is someone there?"

Sam could tell the voice was female and she was freaked out. He couldn't blame him. He was pretty shaken up about not knowing where he was and could only hope that Dean would find him. He knew that his brother would be looking for him, there was no doubt about that. "My name's Sam," he told her, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. "What's yours?"

"Becca," she said in a shakey voice. He could tell that she was trying to keep herself from panicking, but it wasn't easy when you could see nothing but black. "What's going on? Where are we? Why is this happening?"

Sam closed his eyes, though it hardly mattered, he couldn't see anyway. He just wished he had the answers. It would make both of them feel better. Although, maybe not. A big part of Sam knew that demons were behind this, and that wouldn't be a comfort to Becca. "I don't know," he settled on. "Can I ask you something?"

"I can't see my hands," Becca mumbled then, realizing that Sam had spoken, she looked up, although she had no idea where he was in the room. "What do you want to know?"

Sam took a deep breath and ventured to ask a question that would further help him understand what was going on. "Did you mother die in a nursery fire when you were a baby?"

There was silence before Becca's small voice broke through the air. "How did you know that?"

Sam let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Because mine did too," he told her. "Did...strange things start to happen to you a few months ago?" Sam couldn't help but remember that first vision he had endured. Seeing his brother being killed before his eyes. He shook his head as he waited for her to answer.

"I...I can move things with my mind," she replied, her voice barely over a whisper. "Can you...can you do something, too?"

There was no way that he was going to start lying to her now. She needed to get a taste of what was happening. "I have visions."

"Like Phoebe? From Charmed?"

Sam remembered Jess watching that show, remembering how wrong they portrayed everything. Then again, it was just a TV show. "Not exactly. I have these...death visions."

"Death visions?" Becca breathed out. This was all starting to be too much for her. And she still had no clue what was going on.

And all Sam could think of doing was comforting her. It was his nature. He was the comforter, Dean was the flirt. Like opposites, sure, but still brothers. "Come here," he heard himself saying.

"I don't know where you are."

"Remember the where the door is?"

"Yes."

"Walk forward until you it the wall, keeping the door on your left. Then walk right," Sam instructed, hearing her starting to stand up. He did as well, hearing her breathing come closer. Her feet dragged on the floor and suddenly he felt her bump into him.

"Please tell me that's you," Becca said, her voice suddenly sounding scared.

"It is," Sam told her, suddenly feeling her fingers wrap around his. He had stayed away from women after Jess, although there was that preacher's daughter whose own anger killed people. And Charlie didn't count. He felt more like a brother to her, despite the kiss they'd shared, Sam knew that it didn't mean anything, and hell, he was sort of glad. It was good to see his brother actually caring for someone.

"How come you're not freaking out over this?" Becca asked.

"I'm not sure if telling you the truth would be such a good thing right now," Sam insisted.

"Why not?" There was a pause, and Sam felt a tug on his hand as he heard her slide against the wall and sit down. He moved to sit down next to her.

"It's not something to be told very well in the dark."

"What else do we have to do?"

Xxxxxxx

Charlie didn't even know how long she'd been working, but she didn't even hear Dean come inside. She only noticed him there when he put his hands on her shoulders. His touch sent chills down her spine, and she tilted her head back so that it was resting on his chest.

"Did you find anything?" he asked, rubbing little circles on her shoulders with his thumbs.

"Um..." she mumbled, before his question registered. "Not really. I've gotten dead ends and...wait, how long have you been gone?"

He moved to get the other chair at the table next to her and sat down. "A few hours. I needed some time to myself, you know."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah," she said softly, turning her attention to the screen. "I just wish I could find something."

"We will," Dean said, almost like he was telling himself more than her.

"How can you be so sure?" Charlie asked, turning in her chair so that she was facing him.

Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not. I just have to say it. Makes me feel more manly," he added with a grin.

Charlie chuckled and shook her head. "See that attitude right there? That's--"

"Why I get the extra cookie?"

"Not going to help us find Sam," she finished after Dean's interruption.

"I know, but what are we going to do if there's nothing to find? Can't you keep me busy?"

Charlie cleared her throat. "Hello? Remember? I'm _old school_, Dean."

He shrugged. "I know. But it was worth a shot wasn't it?"

Xxxxxxx

Not wanting to get too frustrated with the lack of information leading to Sam, Charlie insisted they take a break from researching and she curled up next to him on the bed as they watched some television. Charlie said no porn and Dean said no chick shows, so they settled on the Discovery channel and watched Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. battle it out on _American Chopper._

Dean had to just keep telling himself that Sam was alright. He could take care of himself couldn't he? It wasn't like Sam was some prissy college boy, he was a Winchester and Winchester's fight and stay strong. But Dean couldn't help but worry about him; they were still brothers.

And while Charlie was worried about Sam, she was also worried about her mom and being away from Alex. The two hadn't left each other's sides since they were eighteen, and even before then, they'd been around each other all the time. The price that you pay when you have a twin. And then there was this thing with Dean. Whatever it was, Charlie wished that it hadn't been brought on by something so bad, but she was glad that finally he seemed to get it. She liked him...cared for him...was falling for him. She knew that she had to give him a break; he was a guy and they weren't exactly good at reading female minds. Plus, every boy back in Kentucky had told her that she was the most confusing girl they'd ever met. Oh well.

There must have been a marathon going on, but Charlie didn't mind. For the second time in twenty-four hours, she was in a bed with Dean and it was just that. Not sex, just comfort. She was just about to tell Dean and say that it must be a record for him, when her phone rang. She sprang up and rushed towards the table where she'd put her phone next to the laptop. "Hello?" she groaned out, feeling a sudden head rush from the quick movements.

"Charlie, you okay?" Alex's voice came over the line.

She squeezing her eyes shut and waited for the feeling to pass. It was gone quickly and she opened her eyes, blinking a few times. Hearing Dean mute the TV she turned her attention back to the phone. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"Good. I have something for you."

"What's it for?"

"Sam," came the short reply.

"You found something?" Charlie nearly screamed. Hearing this, Dean got off the bed and sat on the unoccupied chair next to Charlie so that he could start up the computer again. "What is it?"

Xxxxxxx

Sam had tried to keep track of time, but he couldn't just keep counting and he couldn't see his watch, so that wasn't going to be any help. He and Becca had been joined by a group of other people who also had odd powers. The room was starting to get cramped and Sam was the only one who had a clue what was going on. And he didn't know much. He knew that there was a demon behind all of this. The others didn't believe him, but Sam had concluded that it was true. And with all of these people with powers, he knew that nothing good could be behind this. He just hoped to God that Dean, Charlie and Alex would find them before something bad happened to all of these people. Sam was here, but he couldn't do anything.

Xxxxxxx

"Holy fuck," Charlie whispered out. She'd just gotten off the phone with Alex. Dean had started pacing, since Charlie had refused to put the phone on speaker.

"What?" Dean almost yelled, sitting down in the chair opposite her.

"I have no idea how my brother figured this out, but this is...insane." Charlie paused and ran a hand through her hair then looked up at Dean. She then started to explain what Alex had told her. It's close to Halloween--just two days away--and there is a ritual that is so powerful, demons can possess a body and never be able to leave it. You cannot excersise it, holy water doesn't hurt it, and it's very powerful, having complete control over the body it's possessing. Alex was sure that the demon behind this sudden kidnapping was the demon who killed Mary Winchester and Sam's girlfriend. If Alex's suspicions were correct, the demon had also targetted other kids with powers like Sam. And if he had an army of demons with him, they could possess the gifted people and have complete control over their powers, which meant bad news for every hunter out there.

"What?!" Dean exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief. "All of that? Is it...true?"

Charlie bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I'm afraid so, Dean."

With an exasperated sigh, Dean ran a hand through his hair and then resumed pacing. Charlie's eyes followed him. She didn't know what else to say to him. And she didn't want to say the wrong thing, wondering if he'd snap. This was the real thing; something with demons and Dean's brother. She massaged her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched him.

Suddenly spinning to look at her, he had an unexplainable look on his face. "There has to be something else. Can't we get there...save him somehow?"

Charlie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Uh...Alex said there was one way. It's like trying to grab something in the dark but...it's all we've got." She turned in her chair and pulled the laptop in front of her. Dean came over and leaned over her, hands on the back of the chair. Most of the time, she hated people hovering, but she dealt with it this time. "We need to find out the demon's last host and where he's buried. They have to do this ritual there. On a full on, on October the 31st. This is all planned out..." she bit her lip and started searching for death records. "Alex is looking for the guy but we've got to help him. We've got two days before this will happen."

"Then what? We just go there?"

"And get the people out. There's going to have to be an alter there so that the other demons don't need host bodies until they possess the gifted. We just need to get everyone out safe and away then trash the alter."

Dean nodded, taking a deep breath. "Figures." He straightened up and then plopped down on the end of one of the beds. "But we can save him?" he asked after a few minutes, his voice soft.

"We can save him, Dean," Charlie told him in the best voice she could muster. She moved from her chair to next to him on the bed. Going on impulse, she slid her fingers through his and held his hand tight.

Dean was caught off guard by her actions, but he wasnt about to say he hated it. He looked down at their hands and then back up at her. "How do you know?"

"I just do. I promise we'll save Sam, Dean," she told him, looking straight into his eyes.

"Promise?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Usually you odn't promise things you can't keep."

"I don't plan on backing down on my promise, Dean. We're going to find your brother and save whoever else the demon got. Alright?"

Xxxxxxx

"You ready?" Dean spoke these words to Charlie, who was double checking her pistol for the twentieth time in the past half an hour. It was one hour until midnight, which was the exact moment when the demons had to possess the people. They were sitting in the Impala, which was parked a few blocks away from the cemetary gate.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I just hope this plan works, Dean."

He looked over at her, a small smile on his face. "We'll be fine. Everyone will get out fine." He brushed her cheek with his thumb then caught her chin and pulled her closer for a kiss. Short and sweet wasn't Dean Winchester's way, but there was no way he was going to screw things up with Charlie. He'd hurt her a few times--not that he really ever figured out when--and he didn't plan on doing that again.

"What was that for?" she asked, a ghost of a smile on her face.

He shrugged. "Good luck." With that, he checked his .45 once before getting out of the car. Charlie followed, gripping her gun tight in her hand. She was usually calm on a hunt, high on adrenaline. But this time someone she had grown to care for was in danger, amung other innocent people who were going to be stuck in the line of fire. Plus she'd never dealt with a huge gathering of demons either.

Dean was calm, like always. This was just like every other hunt. Minus the fact that his brother was in danger and that he'd never gone up against more than one demon at a time. He knew what he needed to do. Charlie had made a pretty good plan and he just prayed it would work. It had to. He had to save his brother; he'd promised his father.

The two hunters silently walked towards the cemetery. Wrought iron gates surrounded the place, which would help with keeping the demons in once they showed up. Once at the gate, Dean grabbed Charlie's hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Maybe we should of had sex before this," she said suddenly, glancing up at him.

"Uh..." he raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

"Well, just in case this doesn't go the way we planned," she added, a slight blush reaching her cheeks.

Dean thought about it for a moment then looked down at her with a pleading look. "Hold that thought." With that, he pushed open the gates and the two slipped inside. All around them were old gravestones, many with multiple names of a family and a few crypts. They both tried to work out where exactly the demons were hiding everyone, when there was a noise and sudden movement. Dean pulled Charlie behind an extravegant grave stone with a statue of a bird on top of it. They peeked around the corner of the stone and saw a line of people file out of somewhere out of view. They seemed to be being pulled by an invisible force. Dean guessed, demon. But no one else was around except the people. One tall form met his eyes.

"Sam," he whispered, but Charlie grabbed his arm and kept him back. He turned to face her. "Nothing's around. Let's get them out of here now!"

"It's probably a trap."

"Who cares? Let's take a chance. What else are we going to do?"

She bit her lip and glanced around the stone at the people, who were standing in a close knit group, blinking like maniacs. Some of the girls were crying. "Okay, fine, we'll go."

The two moved from behind the gravestone. Their movement caught the group's attention, who immediately went still and quite. All their eyes were on the two guns the newcomers had in their hands. Except Sam. He saw the two shapes and when they came closer, made out who they were.

"Dean!" he called, walking away from the group. "Charlie," he added, stopping in front of them.

"Hey, you alright?" Charlie asked, as Dean just stood there like a stiff.

"I haven't seen daylight in...however long I've been gone."

"Three days," Dean replied. "It's Halloween. And we have to get these people out of here. _Now_."

Sam nodded, sensing the urgency in his brother's voice. He accepted the gun Dean had brought along for him and the three walked back to the group. "Don't be scared," Sam instructed. "This is my brother and my friend. They're here to save us."

"Save us from what?" one girl asked, her voice rather squeaky.

"Whatever is coming to get us," Sam replied. He'd given up on the demon route a long time ago. "We need to all to get outside as fast as you can. **_Now_**."

When Sam spoke that last word, Dean and Charlie repeated it. Hearing the three simultanious voices, the small group quickly made their way out of the gate. Once outside, the started asking where they should be going. Where were they? Before any of them had a chance to answer, one of the girls let out a scream and Charlie saw that the demons had arrived.

"Dean!" she yelled, starting to pull the gate closed so that the demons couldn't get out. Dean latched the gate, trapping the three hunters in the cemetary with the multiple demons. The people outside the gate all rushed away, the guys comforting the girls.

No sooner had the gate been closed than the three of them felt themselves being thrown by the demon's force. Charlie went catapolting forward and her side came into contact with a gravestone. Sam and Dean were both pressed up against the high verticle bars of the gate. Only one of the demons had a human host; the others were all smokey masses, floating in the air.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Winchester boys, come to save the day," the demon said, walking towards the two brothers. He turned his face up to look at them and they saw that his eyes were yellow. "I'd of figured you would have called up dear daddy when Sam went missing, Dean," he said, directing his words at the older brother. " See that was the plan. To have John come here with Dean. I could do away with both of you and set my full attention on Sammy." The demon then turned to face Sam.

"You," Sam said painfully. "You killed our mom and Jessica."

"Ah, sharp tack, Sammy. They simply got in the way of my plans for you." The demon walked closer to Sam, sizing his up. "Those other kids...they are just tools. Sam, you're the real deal. Did you ever wonder why you had those dreams? Why you always felt _dark _inside?"

"Sam, don't listen to him," Dean panted out.

The demon ignored him. "You're the prize, Sam. You were going to be mine. The others," he motioned to the other demons behind him, "were going to get the other's bodies."

"You're a sick son of a bitch, you know that?" Sam spat at him.

"Oh-ho, Sam. We're not so different."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to know why you're my favorite, Sam? You've been trained. You're smart. You'd be a perfect leader. A perfect fighter."

As soon as he said those words, the demons missing host bodies suddenly started twisted and curving in the air, letting out silence screams. Charlie just came to and saw this. She saw the demon had his attention on Sam and pulled her gun towards her. "You're forgetting one thing," Charlie said in a strong voice as she stood up, gun pointed at the demon. "Sam isn't the only trained one around." With that, she set off a round of bullets in his chest. It broke the hold on the boys who scrambled over the fence.

"Charlie!" Dean screamed, but Sam held him back.

The demon glanced down at the multiple bullet wounds in his chest and frowned, looking up at the girl with yellow eyes glowing. "Tst, tst. You should know better than to shoot a demon, girl."

"Oh I know," Charlie said, keeping her eyes on the demon. "That's why I come with extra ensurance." She suddenly flung her cask of holy water at him, not burning him as much as normal demons, but she'd hit his face so it worked just as she planned. Not wasting a second, she scaled the gate and joined Sam and Dean on the other side. The yellow-eyed demon tried to touch the bars but they burned his skin. Cursing, he turned to see his fleet of demons gone.

"You'll be sorry for this," he told them menacingly, before suddenly the man dropped to his knees and let out a yell as the demon flew out of his body. It disappeared in the sky and the three turned to look at each other.

"That worked...well," Charlie said to break the silence.

"Still holding onto that thought?" Dean asked, back to his normal, cocky self now that Sam was back and safe.

She rolled her eyes as the group of people from earlier suddenly came into view. They were headed by Becca, who's wide eyes made her surprisingly more stunning. Sam now got a good look at her. She had thick brown hair and pretty little features on her face. "What was that?" she finally asked.

"Demons," Sam replied.

_A/N:  
So I finally updated!! I know it's been like forever, but I have to finish this before May so I'm going to be hopefully finishing up the last few chapters quickly! Please read and review!!_


	19. Passion

**Disclaimer: I dont own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you dont recognize so please dont steal them!**

**Chapter Nineteen: Passion**

"Okay, everyone make some phone calls home and try to get back to where you came from."

Sam was trying to figure out how to get everyone back to their homes from here. There were over a dozen of them--maybe twenty or so. They were all pretty freaked over this whole ordeal, even the guys. With nods and an odd 'thank you' they all trailed off into town, keeping close to each other as if the bulk of them could stop from anything bad happening. There was only one that stayed behind: Becca.

"Do you have anyone to call?" Sam asked her, wondering if she did or not. If not, that would pose some problems. He glanced around for his brother and Charlie and saw them leaning up against the Impala's trunk, talking.

Becca ignored his question and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Those black things...they were demons? And that man?"

Sam let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. No matter what age you were, you were considered innocent until you learned that the boogyman was real. He hated breaking that to people; being the one to tell them that their worst nightmares were true. "I..."

"Sam, tell me the truth," she told him. If she'd been either Andy or that other guy who could make people do whatever they spoke, it still wouldn't have worked on Sam. They had nothing left to do in that tiny room, but to see if their _powers _worked on each other. And they didn't.

"Yes," Sam succomed, speaking quietly. He hated not being able to tell her i"No, they weren't. Just tricks of the mind. All of us? We're fine; completely normal"i but all of those things would be lies and he knew that she knew it.

She nodded slowly, not sure why she expected him to lie. She had seen what she had seen, there was no way around any of it. "Oh. So they...exist?"

"Yeah. They do," Sam said, hanging his head slightly. What was making him want to protect her from this? Why was he trying to keep her in the dark when she already knew and has seen what is out there?

"I see...and you come in..where?"

"I...hunt them. Among other things. And so doesn't my brother and...Charlie," Sam said quietly, motioning to the two people he just spoke of. He was slightly confused about the way the two were acting. Usually it was a fight going on or something, but now they were actually laughing and joking around, and not just as a way to ease the tension. Not that Sam could tell at least.

"Fight them? And there are other things?" Becca repeated. Maybe it was her major of mythology and interest in the _paranormal _that suddenly had her interested more than scared of what Sam was telling her. "Can I learn?"

He was taken aback by her question. If he had been her, he'd be scared of out his wits and not wanting to learn about anything that happened. "Uh...why would you want to learn?"

"What, girls don't do what you do?" Becca asked, feeling her confidence grow, along with her normal attitude. "Because you said she," she pointed to Charlie, "does what you do."

"That's not the point," Sam said, suddenly becoming angry. Didn't she know how dangerous this job was? How many hunters checked out early because of a tiny miscalculation on a hunt? "This job is dangerous, Becca. It's...too dangerous."

"Which is exactly why I should know about it." She was sure of herself now. Stepping closer, she lifted her head to look up at him. "Wouldn't it be better if I knew how to protect myself than being in the dark, Sam?"

She had a valid point. But that didn't mean that Sam had to like it. He thought about it for a few moments, looking down at her. She had the most beautiful eyes, that had now seen things that weren't so innocent. "Okay, fine. I'll teach you how to hunt. You can come with us."

In spite of everything, Becca smiled. "Great. Where do we start?"

Over by the car, Dean and Charlie were somewhat impatient in waiting for Sam to come back so they could get some sleep. Charlie hadn't expected to have to do so much in the hunt, but luckily, hunter minds work fast and on the spot, for a very good reason: lives were usually at stake.

"Please tell me you're still holding that thought," Dean said suddenly, looking over at her, a pleading look in his eye.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Dean, we were facing life and death...I'll still hold onto the thought, only if you promise to be _patient_."

Dean had never been one to be patient with women, unlike Sam, who seemed to have the gentleman thing down pat. Dean was a sort of love 'em and leave 'em, which was one of the reasons he was surprised he let himself care for Charlie more than most women. She had something special on him, something he wasn't quite sure about, but something he wasn't going to start complaining about. It showed that he could change. "Alright fine, I'll try to be patient," he said finally. "But it's not going to be easy."

"Well if you try, I think I can live with that," she replied, a playful smile on her face. "And I'll try not to tease you too much."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Ah, damn. You're just going to _try _not to tease me? I'm not sure if I can live with that."

Charlie matched his raised brow. "You're going to have to learn, Winchester."

The sound of shoes crunching over gravel got their attention and they looked up to see Sam and one of the other gifted kids with him. She had been the one to ask _"What was that?"_ after the demon ordeal. She was pretty, with pale white skin, wide eyes and she was holding onto herself like she was trying to grab onto something real.

"Uh...this is Becca," Sam introduced, once they had stopped in front of the other two hunters. "Becca, this is my brother, Dean, and Charlie."

Charlie gave the girl a smile, as did Dean. They both knew that she'd been through hell that night, and they were surprised that she didn't seem a little more freaked. All of the others in the crowd had seemed pretty frightened and gone off in a hurry to make some calls.

"And you're bringing her over because?" Dean prodded, only to get a elbow in the ribs from Charlie. He glared at her and she stuck her tongue out at him, her tongue ring catching the light from a nearby street pole. "Put that thing back where it belongs. Or are you trying to blind me?"

"Come on, Dean. _You _shouldn't be complaining, I know you like it anyway," Charlie shot back with a grin.

"And you can ignore those two," Sam said, turning to Becca. It also didn't help that Sam had just put two and two together and came up with an idea of why his brother and Charlie were acting so differently together. And he wasn't at all sure if he even liked thinking about that fact. Had his brother actually come to his senses and figured out that his life didn't need to be filled with one night stands when he had a perfectly good girl in front of him? And if Dean hadn't, and was just planing on having a good time, Sam had enough sense to give his brother a punch and tell Charlie that Dean wasn't who she thought he was. Whatever that was.

"Ignore us?" Charlie repeated, tapping the end of her .45 on her knee. "Excuse me, mister, and who saved your ass a few times?"

Sam raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. "Aren't we forgetting the many times I've come to save yours?"

"People, people," Dean said, straightening up and moving so he was next to Becca. He put an arm around her shoulders and his other hand on the shoulder closest to him. "Can't you see the girl's been through enough tonight? Let's all get some sleep and figure things out in the morning."

Charlie smirked. "Wow Dean, I didn't know you still had it in you to take control like that." Before he could respond, she pulled Becca out of his grasp and walked with the other girl to the back door of the car. They got inside, leaving the brothers to exchange a shrug and brow raising before getting into the car. It was a mostly quiet trip, with Becca telling them what she planned on doing: becoming a hunter. Dean and Charlie thought she was crazy for _choosing _a life like this, but she was certain and stubborn so there was no talking her out of it. Charlie did agree with Becca's philosophy of being prepared for what was out there, since she know knew that it wasn't all rainbows and candy canes. Back at the hotel, Dean stuffed all of Sam's stuff into a bag and shoved it at his brother, telling him to go get a room for himself. Charlie intervined.

"Look, you guys stay here tonight and me and Becca will get our own room, alright?"

"God, I love a woman in control," Dean said in spite of himself.

"Ah and don't I know it," Charlie said with a grin, before giving him a peck on the lips and leaving with Becca, leaving the brothers alone.

Sam stood there gaping at Dean. Had he just seen what he thought he'd seen? Or were those three days without food effecting his mind?

Noticing that Sam hadn't moved away from the door, Dean turned around and saw his brother standing there, staring at Dean like an idiot. "Uh...Sam?"

"You and...you and...Charlie?" Sam finally got out, trying to motion with his hands what he was trying to say, but they weren't cooperating.

Dean shrugged. "Sure, you could say that. All it took was you disappearing, her mom getting in an accident and a little thing called Dean's Charm," he replied with a grin, flopping down on one of the beds.

Xxxxxxx

"So you...hunt things too?" Becca asked once the two girls had claimed beds and Becca had taken a long needed shower.

Charlie was sitting on her bed, controller in hand, flicking through some channels when Becca came out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. "There's so clothes you can borrow in there," she told the girl, motioning towards her bag. Becca muttered a "_Thanks" _before Charlie answered her question. "Hunt? Yeah I hunt."

"Isn't it scary?" the dark haired woman asked, pulling out some bottoms and a tank top that looked like it would fit.

Charlie bit her lip, glancing over at Becca. "Yeah. It is I guess. Especially when you first start. But now...it doesn't really bother me all that much."

Becca nodded slowly as she walked back into the bathroom to pull on some clean clothes. She had been sitting in a crypt for the past three days, and she didn't even want to begin thinking of what creatures were in there, or if there were any dead bodies somewhere around. "How can it not bother you?" she asked, sticking her head out of the bathroom slightly so she would be heard.

"Um..." Charlie clicked her tongue ring against the back of her front teeth. It was a bad habit, but one that couldn't be broken, no matter how hard she tried. And she had a lot of bad habits. Taking control, smoking, smart mouthing. But she had learned to tone down the control issue, quit smoking and yet she couldn't loose her way of speaking. "I don't know really. I've been hunting since I was sixteen...I guess I just don't let it bother me anymore."

"And what about Sam and uh...Dean?" Becca questioned, walking out of the bathroom, now dressed. She was running her hands through her hair, loving the feeling of being clean finally.

"Do they get scared on hunts?" Charlie asked, laughing slightly in spite of herself as she watched the other girl walk into the room.

Becca cracked a smile and sat on the edge of her bed, facing Charlie. "No, I mean, how long have they hunted?"

"I think about the same," the blonde guessed. In all honestly, she didn't have a clue.

"Yeah? How long have you known them?"

"A few months. Geez, I can't even remember how long exactly." Charlie furrowed her brow and continued tapping her teeth with her tongue ring, trying to concentrate. "Six months? Something like that."

"That's nice," Becca said quietly, staring blindly at the television for a moment. Unlike the other people who were stuck in that crypt with her and Sam, she had no one to call. It was sad really. She had no friends from work, no family. No one. "So you and Dean are...together?"

Charlie stopped tapping and bit down on the very end of her tongue when she heard the question. "Uh...I'm not sure if that's what you'd call it."

"You're not sure?" Becca prodded.

"Well...I know I care for him...and maybe he's even going to start caring for me more like I do him. But Dean's...a ladies man. A very big ladies man."

"That kiss looked pretty genuine to me," Becca commented, a slight smile on her face. All this talking about Charlie and Dean got her mind off the fact that inside, she was freaking out about everything that she had seen and heard and been through.

The hunter blushed. "I kissed him first. Three days ago. And...I don't know, we've been busy trying to find a way to save Sam."

Becca nodded again, pulling her legs up on the bed and scooting back to lean on the headboard. "Well then it's still progressing," she said, to which Charlie nodded. "And Sam...what about you and him?"

"He's...my personal Dr. Phil," Charlie said with a slight laugh. Of course, there _had _been that kiss months back, but she had been rather fucked up at the moment so it didn't count.

"Yeah...he was really good with all of us. He kept us all calm somehow."

Charlie raised a thin eyebrow slightly at the tone of voice Becca was using to talk about Sam. It sounded like she looked up to him or maybe...had a little crush on him? Charlie had to agree that Sam was rather fine--her mind suddenly flashed an image of Sam in a towel in front of her eyes--and he was sweet, so he should have just as many girls as Dean. Only, Sam wasn't all for sex like that. Sure, he was a guy and they need sex in order to survive--according to Helen--but he seemed less demanding than Dean. No wonder.

Xxxxxxxx

Over the next two weeks, all three of the experienced hunters helped with teaching Becca the ropes. First was to get her familiar with all of the known evils out there. So Dean and Sam broke out their dad's journal and Charlie told her about some other things just from memory, or embelished things a bit. At first, they all saw that Becca was hesitant with her decision, but they finally broke through that once the two weeks were up. The next big thing was to teach her how to shoot and go through the weapons. Dean went on a trip to try and find a place to teach her how to shoot, and found a field a few miles out of town that would work. So they headed out there every day, sometimes all four of them, sometimes just Becca and Sam, and sometimes Dean accompanied the brunette and left Sam with Charlie. Becca was a pretty good shot, and she had a little bit of practice with knife throwing, so it was easy for all of them to teach her.

The girls continued to stay in the second room together, just because Becca was more comfortable with it. And Charlie couldn't blame her. She couldn't think of sleeping in the same room with some guy who you'd only know for a few weeks. Of course...maybe that was just a 'normal' person thing, because Charlie remembered that she'd had no problem crashing in the same room as the Winchesters from the beginning. But then again, Alex had been with her at the time too. But it was sort of odd for her and Dean's...relationship. Not that she'd let him do anything if they did end up _sleeping _together. She was still the Charlie she was when they'd first met, with the 'no-sex-before-marriage' thing, but she actually _was _starting to rethink it more often. She still kept firm to her philosophy though.

Strange as it seemed, she liked to be close to him, only not in ways that Dean hoped. But he wasn't one to push anything. Well...he was, but not with Charlie. It was a whole new ball game with her, one that even Sam had never really come into before. The 'no sex' thing that is; not the fact that things were going slow. Sam knew how to take things slow when it came to women, and he was--oddly enough--teaching his brother how to go through with all of this.

But pretty soon, Charlie couldn't stand not having Dean around and made a point of reassuring Becca that Sam would be fine and she'd be fine and then sent them off into the room, while she stayed with Dean in the other.

"Couldn't stay away?" Dean asked. He hadn't moved from his spot on his bed when she'd come to kick Sam out, bag full of clothes and all.

She smirked and walked closer to him, stopping at the bottom of the bed. "Guess not. But don't think you're getting lucky. I just...missed ya. I guess I'm not used to hanging around with girls," she added with a slight smile.

"Right, I'm sure you're not," he said, unsure of how he felt about her saying she missed him. They'd been seeing each other every day, so how could she miss him? Was it something more than a regular _"I miss you"_?

"How's bonding with Sam going?" she asked, still not moving, wondering if all these time away from each other alone was going to affect...whatever they had.

He shrugged slightly. "He's more busy trying to figure out why he and the other people have powers or something," he told her, not sounding interested.

She chuckled at his tone and crawled onto the bed towards him. "Maybe this'll catch your attention, Dean," she said softly, straddling him and kissing him softly. She knew that she was basically teasing him to no end, but what could she do with him that _wouldn't_ be considered teasing unless she stopped everything, or just had sex with him. And she wasn't ready to do either.

Dean almost couldn't stand this, but he remembered Sam's talks with him and plus, something in his own head told him to just cool off and not ruin this by being stupid. "You're right," he mumbled, moving his hands so that one settled on the small of her back and the other tangled in her hair. He deepened the kiss and she matched it with passion, which made Dean hate his decision to go slow, but he knew that he had to. It wasn't a matter of needing, it was that he _had _to, or else he'd lose her and he knew it. But a little intense kissing never hurt anyone did it?

It was like time disappeared and all that filled the space was kissing and soft touches that drove Dean insane. He didn't want any of it to stop, but he knew where he wanted it to lead to, and that wasn't going to end up very well. Eventually, Charlie ended up needing to stop. She hated to, that was for sure, but if the moments gotten any more intense, she might just forget the whole rule she had.

"You're going to kill me, woman," he mumbled, his breath mixing with hers in short huffs.

They had ended up laying side by side, and Dean's hand still rested on her thigh. "Mmm...I'm sorry," she said softly, looking up at him.

Dean shifted more onto his side and held his head up with his arm. "I'd say that I'll live, but I don't know how much more of this I can take," he said, not sure if he was even joking or not. Could he help it? For a virgin, Charlie sure as hell had no problems in that department.

She played with his shirt, wondering herself if he was being serious or not. It was hard to tell with him. "Waiting will pay off," she told him.

"I'm sure, but how much longer are you going to make me suffer?" he said with a fake pout.

It made her laugh. "I can't answer that. But I assure you, it'll be worth the wait."

Xxxxxxxx

"What do we have?" Dean asked. It was the next morning and Sam had spent a lot of the previous night on his laptop, trying to find a real hunt. And it had paid off, only he wasn't sure if it was a safe enough hunt to let Becca try out her skills yet. Over the past month, he'd grown to like her. She was spunky, good at everything they threw at her, and didn't back down either. It wasn't something he often found himself attracted to, but people's types can change, can't they?

"I think they'd zombies," Sam replied, scrolling down the page as if it would lead him to more answers.

Charlie felt a chill go through her and tried not to show it, not wanting the others to pick up on it and start asking her questions. That was the last thing she needed. If Sam's predictions were correct, then she'd want to just get through this in one piece.

"Zombies? They're real?" Becca asked, moving to read the screen over Sam's shoulder. He didn't seem to mind. Hell, he was used to Dean doing the same. But his brother was pacing the room while Charlie suddenly sat on the end of one of the beds.

"Unfortunately, yes," Dean responded, remembering the brother's one and only meeting with them. They were still young--if Dean remembered correctly, Sam was still in high school--and John gave them a case to work in town when he went off with another hunter. It hadn't been a pretty hunt.

"How do you kill someone who's already dead?" the brunette asked, looking up at Dean.

"Stake them to their coffins with a brass stake," Charlie supplied in a monotone voice. She knew all about zombies, and usually she was goo at avoiding them.

Becca raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

The three experienced hunters nodded simultaneously. "Afraid so," Sam said, glancing up at her. "Uh...maybe you shouldn't come. This is a pretty dangerous hunt."

"Aren't they all going to be dangerous?" Becca countered. "Look, I have nothing waiting for me at home, hence my reason for sticking here with you guys. If hunting is dangerous, then bring it on. It'll mean saving people and that's all I want."

The others thought about her words. She sounded so determined, and there wasn't anything the three of them could do to talk her out of it. So they decided she could come along. Of course, finding four brass stakes--one for each of the hunters--was the hard part. Charlie and Becca scowered the town and ended up having to buy some organ pipes from an antique store, while the boys checked out the graveyard and made sure they new which graves had to be dug before they lured the undead there. There were three graves, which meant three zombies. Up against three experienced and one novice hunter, it would be risky, but it had to be done. Zombies were one of the worst things to have to hunt and go up against, but they were also one thing that no hunter wanted to leave walking free. They were easy to track though; just look for dead plants.

Xxxxxxxx

Becca quickly learned that hunting caused for minimal talk and maximum work. She helped Charlie, Dean and Sam dig up the three graves just as the sun started going down. It was hard work and she wondered why people always put coffins so far down. She never thought she'd care, but it just made the work harder for them. At least the soil was still soft and hadn't frozen yet with the cold. Despite the fact that it was the beginning of December, it hadn't snowed yet. Although, it _was _Tennessee they were in, so maybe that wasn't so uncommon for that area. Either way, they all ended up huffing away in t-shirts by the time they reached the coffins.

This whole time, Charlie had been coaxing herself silently. The last thing she wanted was to freak out with the others around. She knew that she shouldn't be doing this hunt, but she didn't want to deal with explaining herself. Especially to Becca, who might then not want to hunt anymore and the more hunters around, the better for everyone. She knew that she'd have to face these monsters eventually, but with Alex around, he had always known never to speak of hunts that involved zombies. She wasn't exactly sure if he was uneasy about it as well, but it didn't matter, he had respected her enough not too.

"Let me guess," Becca started, once the four of them had climbed out of the holes, making sure to leave the coffins open, "this was the easy part?"

"Yeah," Sam said with a nod, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll get the alter started," he added, walking over to where he'd set up a bunch of candles on a spray painted pentagram. Charlie silently picked up one of the stakes then handed the others to Dean and Becca before laying one on the ground next to Sam, who was busy lighting all of the candles and muttering some Latin in hopes of attracting the zombies.

Suddenly there was a noise coming form behind and the three standing hunters turned. In front of them were the three zombies they were here to...rekill. The woman was pretty, and the two men were small and scrawny. Despite their looks, the three monsters were going to put up one hell of a fight.

"Alright, Sammy, that's good. Our guests are here," Dean said with a smirk, tightening his grip on the stake he had in his hand.

Becca branded a face devoid of all emotion, Sam's face was determined and Charlie was too busy trying to keep her hands from shaking that she knew that her face wasn't exactly good for a hunter. It probably showed on her face that she was scared as hell and wishing she was anywhere but here. But she didn't even have time to think before the zombies charged forward. The two men went after Dean and Sam and the woman came after Becca and Charlie. As the two boys battled with getting thrown around and just getting the zombies in their coffins, Becca was almost transfixed with horror and Charlie wasn't too far off. The senior hunter should have been on the top of her game, and she wasn't. Instead, she was putting Becca's life at stake. so much for being a worthy hunter.

But she _was _a worthy hunter, no matter what the past was doing to her with this hunt, she wasn't going to let people down. Jumping into action, she pushed Becca out of the way of the charging zombie, and the two girls hit the ground hard. Thinking fast, Charlie kicked the zombie's legs out from under her and she teetered on the edge of her grave, her arms windmilling before she fell into the hole with a thud. Charlie scrambled to her feet as fast as she could, she jumped down into the grave, holding the stake tight with both hands before plunging it down into the woman's stomach. She made a little choking noise before falling silent.

Dean and Sam finished off the two men just about the same time and climbed out of the graves, glad to be rid of the monsters. They were the worst kind, almost. The undead, who were really undead, unlike vampires, who couldn't be dead to be brought back to life like most legends stated. You could only become a vampire by ingesting some vampire blood. It could be a lot or a drop; it just didn't matter. As for zombies, there had to be rituals and someone with the guts to do them to bring back someone who was dead in the ground.

Sam hurried over to help Becca up, who hadn't moved from her spot where Charlie had tackled her down. She still had the stake clasped tight in her hands. As for Charlie, she was still standing in the grave, as if frozen there. She hadn't moved an inch from when the zombie had finally died, her hand still around the stake. Dean looked down at her, afraid to startle her.

"Charlie?" he said finally. Her head jerked up, as if she'd just been jerked into wakefulness. "You alright?" he ventured to ask.

She shook her head. "Not really. Help me out?"

He frowned slightly but helped her out of the grave, staying standing in front of her. "What's wrong?" he asked as softly as he could as he brushed some dirt off of her cheek with his thumb. The way she'd outright said she wasn't alright wasn't like her.

She brushed her hands off on her pants, not wanting to have to look at anyone at the moment. She could hear Sam and Becca starting to refill the graves. But she knew that she had to tell Dean what was wrong. It was the only way to make the questioning stop. "My...my dad's last hunt...where he got killed...he was fighting some zombies. And...I've never been able to talk about the things before, much less face any. Alex had been good this whole time hunting with him; he would just skip over hunts that he knew were zombies and I've been alright with it. I've never faced any before." She scuffed her boot on the grass.

Dean stood there, listening to her talk. How he got himself in these emotionally situations, he had no clue. They seemed to just keep coming up whenever he was around Charlie. He had never really gotten into that sort of thing even with Sam. The few times he told his brother how he felt...well he really couldn't remember more than one or two times in their whole lifetimes so far. But since they were back into hunting, who knew when new things would be aroused. "Charlie I'm--"

"Don't worry about it," she cut him off. She didn't want to get Dean's pity. It was no ones fault that her father was stupid enough to go on a hunt when he was drunk. She left that part out of the story, not wanting to cause for more of Dean's concern. As much as she liked him actually caring about her, she wasn't about to make him change his ways, and she wasn't going to change hers. "Let's just get these filled," she added, almost sharply as she walked over to where she'd dropped her shovel and started in on the dirt pile.

Xxxxxxxx

The car ride back to the hotel was silent. Charlie and Becca sat in the back; Charlie stewing in her own father's stupidity that had formed her life, and Becca was just trying to get it through her mind that she'd gone up against real zombies. Dean was worried about Charlie and what she'd told him about the reason she had froze up on a hunt. From all the hunts they'd been through, he knew that she didn't freeze in the eyes of the ememy, so it worried him that she had. Sam...he was still trying to battle over the reason why the yellow-eyed demon had brought him and all of the other psychic kids together.

Once Dean had parked, Charlie stormed out of the car and toward the hotel building. Dean glanced over at Sam, almost as if to ask his little brother what to do. And Sam's look told him what Dean already expected he should do. He got out of the car and followed after her. Charlie made her way to the door that lead to the inside of the hotel and inevitably their rooms. She yanked open the door, hearing Dean's footsteps behind her. She didn't stop, but continued inside and to the room that had been the sorce of much enjoyment the previous night. The door flew open and she didn't stop to close it, instead, walking farther inside and dropping the key and her jacket on the table.

Dean came up to the room just moments after her and quietly shut the door behind him. He watched her run her hands through her hair and pacing around the room. Most likely he was going to get yelled at for what his following words were, but he was expecting it. "Charlie, if you...just tell me what's up, maybe I can help," he offered, staying where he was at the door.

"I don't want to talk about it, Dean!" Charlie exploded, whirling around in his direction, using her hands to make emphases on her words. "I don't want you to feel sorry for whatever stupid thing my father did! I don't want to have to answer questions and get the pity party!" She paused to take a few small steps towards him. "I want to just forget this night ever happened. I want to forget that I almost got Becca killed because of my past, Dean!" She knew that she had no right for blowing up in his face, but he had asked for it, talking in the first place. The short outburst of anger faded as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving her now feeling like a deflated balloon. "I just want..."

He knew that the one thing he shouldn't do is try to interfere or calm her down. He knew better than anyone that keeping everything bottled up inside didn't always lead to happy endings and he was a perfect person for her to take out her anger on. And he probably deserved it, not picking up on her odd mood earlier, before the hunt. He did notice the softness in her last three words and he took a step forward. "You want what?" he prodded, wondering if this would lead to another outburst.

It was like she didn't even know what she wanted or needed anymore. It didn't make things easy on Dean and she felt horrible for that, but what could she do to make things better when she didn't eve know what she was thinking. But at this very moment, she knew exactly want she wanted. "I want iyoui, Dean," she finished, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling him down to kiss her.

That wasn't what Dean was expecting. He had always thought of this moment, ever since the first time he met her. But back then it was the only thing he wanted from her. Now, it was like waiting had paid off and he was finally getting his prize. His hand moved up to tangle in her hair, kissing her with as much passion as he thought he could ever muster up.

Xxxxxxxx

"So I'm guessing it'll just be the two of us for the rest of the nigh," Becca commented once her and Sam had gotten inside the hotel and into their room a few down the hall from Dean and Charlie's.

Sam chuckled, pulling off his jacket and tossing it on the couch. "Guess so. If I know those two...they'll fight and then make up. They've been doing that since before they were even together," he told her. He would normally not have a problem with sharing a room with someone; hell, he had with Dean for his whole life and for the first few hunts after Jessica died. After that, Alex and Charlie joined them and even then it wasn't so bad. He wasn't about to lie when he said it was a bit awkward sharing a room with a girl.

"_Oh_," she replied with a grin, pulling off her dirt covered boots. All that digging and refilling had left her feeling like she had just taken a mud bath. "Hey Sam, is it alright if I jump in the shower?"

He raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Uh...sure. As long as you can walk over and turn on the water, go right ahead," he replied with a smile.

Becca rolled her eyes as she pulled off her other boot. Her next set of actions had her nervous, but she wanted to see if she was just fooling herself or if she could keep living like this. She stood up and walked in his direction. "Well, Sam, maybe you could help me out," she said in a soft, sultry voice.

Her words surprised him and he looked up from his seat at the table to see her walking closer. He swallowed, knowing there was no denying that look in her eyes. "Uhm, Becca, I don't think--"

"Sam," she interrupted. "You can't tell me that there's nothing here. Now I know you're a smart guy...don't you feel it?" Becca was really hoping that she wasn't about to make a total fool of herself.

Sam's first thoughts were of Jessica. If he had just told her what he did...or had done his whole life, then it could be her in front of him. But she wasn't here. She was six feet under and Becca was in front of her instead. He had to admit though, there had always seemed to be a spark between them, ever since their first meeting in that crypt at the cemetery that month ago. "Yeah," he managed to get out. "I think there's something there."

"Me too," she replied with a grin, walking as close to him as possible before putting her hands on his face and kissing him.

_A/N: sorry for the delay. I've had writers block._


	20. A Message

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Twenty: A Message**

She shouldn't have been surprised that the ringing didn't wake him up. Charlie could never really sleep after the vampire incident, so more often than not, she just didn't sleep. Cat-naps during the day worked just as well. She rolled over when she heard her phone first go off and nearly fell right off the bed. She caught herself and quietly stood up, picking up her phone and rushed to the bathroom.

"Hello?" she whispered into the phone as she shut the door.

"Charlie? Bad time?" Alex's voice came over the line. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

She ran a hand through her hair, playing with the frayed hem of the shirt she didn't even remember putting on last night. "Uh, yeah but it's fine. I needed to get up anyway. How's the shoulder?" Charlie couldn't help but ask. It had been her that had shot her brother in the first place. Possessed or not, she remembered it and it bothered her.

"All healed up. Got a nice scar to woe the ladies with," he replied in a light voice, not wanting her to feel like it was her fault. It hadn't been. It had been his idea for her to take off her watersteel necklace so she could get possessed in the first place. None of them had thought that the demon would be powerful enough to break the Devil's Trap.

Charlie chuckled, leaning up against the wall opposite the sink. "Aw, Alex, we both know the last time you were with a girl was...back in high school," she teased. When they were younger, Alex had a few girlfriends; but as soon as the two started hunting, romance was the last thing on their minds. But Charlie had slipped up and let herself get attached to someone, only to have to kill him because he was possessed. "How's Mom?"

"She's good. It'll be another five months or so before they can take the casts off, but I've been helping out as much as I can and everyone around town is pitching in too," he replied.

She bit her lip and slid down until she was sitting on the cold floor and staring at the cabinets under the sink. "I feel really bad for not going out to see her. I mean...I could have...after we found Sam, but then things got so busy with teaching Becca everything..." she trailed off.

"Right...how's everyone out there? Sam, Dean and uh...Becca you said?"

"They're um...good. We had a hunt last night. Becca tagged along. We got it done pretty quickly."

"Yeah? How'd she like it?"

"Eh...I think she's still too terrified to even think about it yet."

Alex chuckled. "I'm sure. Well, just thought I'd check in. Be safe alright?"

"Always am," she replied with a smile, even though he couldn't see it. "Say hi to Mom for me."

"Will do."

Once she hung up, Charlie stood and raked a hand through her hair. Flipping her phone closed, she set it on the edge of the sink before turning on the water in the shower. A nice warm shower sounded fantastic just about now. She took all the time she wanted, which wasn't actually too long, since she was in need of some coffee for some sort of morning pick-me-up. Once she shut off the water, she towel dried her hair and then wrapped a towel around her body before walking back into the hotel room.

"And here I was, thinking you ran off on me," Dean said from the bed. The cold from the December air seeping into the room had woken him up. He stayed in the bed, under the covers, knowing that he'd have to get up soon enough anyway.

Charlie rolled her eyes and walked around the little wall they always put up to separate the couch from the beds in hotel rooms and sat down on the couch, pulling her bag onto her lap. "Now why would I do that?" she asked, searching through her bag for some clothes.

"How should I know?" came his muffled reply.

She shook her head as she picked out some clothes. She slipped into them and then walked towards the bathroom to throw the towel on the floor. "I'm going to go see if Sam and Becca are up so we can go grab some breakfast," she called from the bathroom where she was taking a comb to her hair.

"Come on, Charlie, don't wake up the lovebirds."

"Lovebirds?" she repeated, sticking her head out of the room and wiggling her fingers at him. "Look who's talkin', Mister," she teased before going back to her hair.

Dean let out a groan from the bed. "Damn...you don't regret it, do you?"

"What?" Charlie nearly squeaked, coming into the room. "Do _you _think I regret it?" she asked him, dropping her comb on the table and walking over to the bed.

"How should I know?" he countered, quickly snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her down on the bed next to him, amid a few half-hearted protests from Charlie.

"Okay fine, I _don't_ regret it. Happy?"

"Very," he mumbled, lifting her chin and kissing her softly.

"Okay, okay, I get that you're happy, geesh," she said with a grin before climbing off of the bed and straightening her shirt. "I'm going to get some breakfast," she told him, walking towards the door, pulling on her jacket as she did so. She was sure that if she stayed a minute longer, she wouldn't get any breakfast anytime soon. Opening the door, she walked into the hall and bumped into Becca who was seemingly walking to the room Charlie had just exited.

"Oof! Sorry, Charlie," Becca said with a small smile. "You're out of here in a hurry."

Charlie shrugged. "Yep. If I stay any longer, I don't think I'll leave," she replied then glanced around the brunette and down the hall. "Is Sam up?"

"Yeah he is. Doing some research."

She nodded. That was definitely something Sam did. Got up early to go looking for more hunts. That boy really needed to get a life. "Right. I was about to grab breakfast. Want to come?"

"Sure."

The two girls walked down to the lobby and outside. It was very much nippy and their breaths came out in little puffs of steam on the air. Charlie pulled her car keys out and opened the doors quickly, turning on the car to let it warm up.

Becca shut the passenger side door then turned to face Charlie. "So you and Dean figured out your little fight last night?" she ventured to ask, remembering what Sam had told her about those two.

The blonde was rubbing her hands together to keep them warm as she kept her eyes on the dashboard, waiting for the engine to heat up just a bit. "What? Oh yeah, we did," she answered briskly, turning on the heat and closing the vents so that they wouldn't be blasted by cold air.

"Uh-huh," Becca nodded. "It was _that _kind of make up wasn't it?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked over at the other woman. "And what does that mean? _And _just to be clear, I wasn't mad at Dean. I was mad for another reason."

Becca sighed. "Okay, okay. No need to bite my head off."

"Sorry," Charlie mumbled as she put it the car in reverse and backed out of the space. "And yes, it was _that _kind of make up. Mostly...well...it wasn't even a make up. I was just kind of...confused and pissed off and...I don't even know," she finished, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"Mhm, okay," Becca said with a little nod as Charlie pulled out onto the street. "I ended up kissing Sam."

"What?" Charlie exclaimed, nearly slamming on the breaks. Not that it was surprising. Sam was nice looking, so was Becca. They both had that psychic thing and the two _had _been sharing a room. Charlie was almost surprised to find out nothing had happened until last night.

"You sound surprised," Becca said with a laugh. "But uhm...yeah. I kissed him. And damn...I know you told me all about the Winchester's legend and all and about Dean being the ladies man, but Sam...he shouldn't just be the researcher. I swear, it was the best kiss of my life."

"Mmhmm," Charlie agreed, before she could stop herself. But it was too late.

"Wait...you've kissed Sam?"

Charlie sighed. "Yes."

"Dang. Are you just moving through the brothers just to say you have?"

"No! That's not it at all. I was pissed at Dean at the time."

"So you kissed Sam to get back at Dean?"

"I have no clue. I can't even remember what I was thinking. It was a while ago," Charlie added.

"Oh okay...And you don't have to reassure me or anything."

"Right," Charlie said, tapping the steering wheel. "So enough about me, go on. You kissed Sam and...?"

"Oh, um. It was right after we got back so we took a shower...and no, not _together_," Becca said to the slight smirk that appeared on Charlie's face, "then talked a bit. I'm sure you know about Jessica...he told me about her and what happened. And I told him about me."

"You just talked?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Nope. It sounds just like Sam. Then he gets up early and does some research." Charlie shook her head as she spotted a donut and coffee shop up ahead. Her stomach started grumbling and she changed lanes. Time for some breakfast.

Xxxxxxx

Dean wasn't in his room when the girls got back with breakfast so they nearly charged into the other room with Charlie yelling, "Breakfast!" as loud as she could. Of course, it made a few people stick their heads out of their rooms and glare at her, at which she comically bowed, balancing a tray of coffee cups in her hand. Dean grabbed the tray before she dropped it and then pulled her into the room. He wasn't about to comment on her behavior; at least it was better than how she'd been acting about the zombie hunt.

Turns out that Sam hadn't really found anything that stood out to him as a hunt, so they might as well take a little break. The thought made Charlie remember the last time they had taken a break, back when Alex was with them. It was when Dean almost died, Sam had his first vision and she tried her hardest to push the thoughts aside.

Just as Dean was finishing off the donuts, his phone beeped and he glared at it for a full minute before flipping it open. "It's from Dad," he said aloud, making Sam look up from his laptop.

"Dad? What did he say? Did he leave a message or something?"

Dean looked down at the screen and shook his head. "Text message."

"What? A text message? Dean, the man can barely work a toaster!" Sam exclaimed, making both of the girls fall into a fit of giggles.

Dean chuckled. "So what? He sent us one before, remember? Back for that wendigo? And look...it's coordinates," he told his brother, handing Sam the phone. "Punch these in and tell me what you get."

"You really think Dad sent this, Dean? It could be a trap or something," Sam continued to argue, but still typed up the coordinates in the online database. "It's uhm...two hundred miles from here...north."

"That doesn't help any," Charlie commented from the end of the bed where she was sitting.

"Why not? It's a place to start," Dean told her.

"True, but Sam couldn't find anything around there in the first place. What happens if we get there and it's some sort of trap? Is it even a town, Sam?" She directed her last question to the younger brother.

"Uh, no. It's about two miles from the nearest town...in the middle of nowhere," Sam replied, realizing that Charlie was right. This wasn't a good lead. Even if the coordinates were from John.

"Why don't we head over there, and ask around that town. Maybe there have been things happening that haven't reached the world wide web yet," Dean suggested. There was no point in arguing with him. His mind was set and he was going. Who knew if this was going to be someplace where they could meet up with John again.

Xxxxxxx

"I know you haven't been around us much," Charlie started. She was driving in her Camaro behind the boys, Becca riding shotgun. "But...what do you think about this whole situation. Just bursting into something we know nothing about."

"Well...with everything I've learned about the paranormal from you guys, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to just burst into someplace that might be a trap, or we might be unprepared and the worse could happen. _But _if we ask around _first _and make sure we don't go to whatever those coordinates point to, we should be fine until we _do _figure out what is going on."

Charlie raised her eyebrows and turned to look at the other girl. "Damn, Becca, you're already sounding like a better hunter than me." Charlie wasn't conceited. She knew that there were probably a few people better at hunting than her. But doing it her whole life, just like Sam and Dean, it was different for them. It was just a bit odd hearing someone so new in the game sounding so sure.

Xxxxxxx

"I don't know, Dean, it just seems a little weird. Doesn't it strike you as a bit strange?" Sam questioned. He still wasn't comfortable with the whole situation. He was getting tired of looking for John, feeling like he and Dean were on a wild goose chase and that nothing was going to come from it.

"No, Sam. Dad's done it before, remember? So what if he does it again?" Dean countered, glancing over at his brother.

"What if it's a trap? Some demon could have his phone or something, Dean. This is too risky. Not with the demon thing that happened, what? A month ago. It's not safe for us to just go jumping on something as small as this as if it were a folder full of information!"

Dean sighed. "Look, Sam, nothing's wrong with this. It's Dad, alright? End of discussion."

Sam opened his mouth to object, but the look on his brother's face made him stop short of speaking. Instead, he crossed his arms and stared out of the windshield. He still didn't think it was such a good idea. The only one who seemed to be on his side was Charlie; which rarely happened. Even if this was about his dad, Sam was almost shocked to not see her in charge. But Dean seemed to be determined to find John, no matter how long it took or how many risks were taken.

Xxxxxxx

The little town was indeed, little. One main road went through the center of town, where all of the businesses were. The houses were down the side streets that branched off from the main road. And that was it. You could blink and miss it.

"You sure this is it, Sam?" Charlie asked as the four of them got out of their cars and glanced around. They were parked by the main plaza, which was a tiny grass patch with houses surrounding it.

The youngest Winchester nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Dean looked over at his brother and shrugged. "Alright, lets go check this shithole out."

Xxxxxxx

Two hours later and the four had combed the town, spewing lies to get information, like always. Becca even got into the flow of it pretty easily. If she were to become a true hunter, she would need that skill. It was vital, just like being able to go up against the things they were fighting. Charlie had even asked Alex to check out some things online, maybe crack into some government sites. Dean didn't think it was worth the call, since Sam hadn't been able to find anything, but Charlie said to just trust her; Alex was a skilled computer hacker. And sure, Sam was good with research, but Charlie doubted he'd be able to hack into top government files.

"Find anything?" Charlie asked as they met up at the cars.

"Think I did," Sam piped up. "It's a djinn."

"Dude, a freakin' genie?" Dean scoffed, getting a hit in the stomach by Charlie. "Hey!" he muttered.

"Don't tell me you've never gone up against one before, _Dean_," she teased, just as her phone rang. She glanced at the screen before flipping open her phone. "Alex, did you find--"

"Djinn. It's a djinn," her brother interrupted.

Charlie smirked and turned to Dean. "Oh, so it _is _a djinn, huh? Well, is it like the one we fought in Montana?"

"I think so. It has the same MO. None of the victims have been found, obviously, but it seems to be a traveling one."

"Oh, nice," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah. It's in that warehouse the coordinates pointed to. You better hurry though, not many people last long with a djinn."

"Right. As soon as night falls, we're heading over there."

"Good. And Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. All of you."

"Always am," she replied before hanging up and facing the others. "We're getting this thing at nightfall."

Xxxxxxx

Four silver knives, dripping in lamb blood caught in the moonlight shafts that slid through the holes in the warehouse roof. Charlie, Becca, Dean and Sam quietly entered the big building, eyes peeled for the djinn. Becca's heart was pounding against her ribs as she took a few steps forward and watched as the experienced hunters decided to split up, using hand signals. She's have to learn those.

Charlie joined the other woman and the two brothers went in the other direction. The four crept as silently as possible, watching for the creature they were here to kill. It was simple really, they just had to stab it with the knife. There was no specific place or way to you to kill it; no excersism or devil's trap. No beheading or shooting with silver bullets. Just plain old stab and go.

The boys went down a long corridor, hunter senses at their fullest when they found the room where the djinn was keeping it's victims. There were a few dead bodies hanging from the ceiling, but one young man and woman seemed to be alive. Barely, but alive. A sudden yell and noise made them whirl around.

Charlie and Becca entered a room that had desks everywhere and papers strewn over the floor. Water was dripping down the wall and their was barely any light coming in from outside. A sudden noise made them turn, but there was nothing. Charlie turned around only to be face-to-face with the creature. She let out a yell as it slammed her into a desk and kept her hand holding the knife away from it. Just as it brought a hand encased in purple to her face, Becca stabbed it right in the middle of the back, twisting the knife. The purple died away and the grip it had on Charlie's throat loosened before it dropped to the ground. Becca stood in place, looking down at the thing as Dean and Sam rushed into the room.

"Are you okay?" they asked in unison and got nods from the girls. Dean went forward to check on Charlie, who assured him that she was fine. It's hold on her throat hadn't been that bad. Becca was stunned but proud of herself for killing the thing, and otherwise unharmed.

Another noise behind them made them all tense up and turn around. There couldn't be two djinn's here, could there? But a trap...Sam had mentioned a trap. Always equipped, Dean pulled a .45 from his jeans and pointed it in the direction of the noise.

"Hey, whoever you are, show yourself," he demanded towards the shadow, hoping to God that it wasn't a demon. Then Sam would be right and it wouldn't make Dean feel any better. Nor, were any of them ready to take on a demon just yet. They had nothing that would work against it.

"Okay," the voice said, deep and male. A few long seconds later and a man stepped out of the shadows in a long black coat.

Dean lowered the gun slowly. "Dad?"


	21. Clarity

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Clarity**

"Dean," John said, walking fully out of the shadows as Dean stuffed the gun in his belt. Wordlessly, father hugged son. As odd as it was to see Dean, Master of Masked Emotions, hugging someone, it was a good thing. A reunion was a good thing.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," Dean said, stepping back as Sam left Becca's side and took a tentative step towards his father. They hadn't left on exactly good terms last time they'd seen each other.

"I know," John admitted.

Sam raised his eyebrows and took another step forward. "You know? You knew we were looking for you? Why didn't you let us know or something?"

The oldest Winchester sighed. "Look boys, it's not simple. You two are my weakness. I know it, the demons know it. And I was on the trail of the thing that killed your mother so I couldn't stop."

"The demon," Sam said matter-of-factly, remembering those horrible endless hours in pitch darkness with the other psychics and the almost death wish that came soon after.

"So you know it's a demon," John said.

"Damn straight we do," Becca spoke up, her voice hard as she remembered the time in the cemetery as well. "That demon, almost killed us."

All three men turned towards the two woman who were standing next to each other, unnoticed by John until now. Or so it seemed. His eyes flickered over both of them, as if inspecting them. And God, Charlie hated that. But not wanting to make things any more tense, she decided to pull out a humor card.

"Wow, who would have thunk?" she said, putting her hands on her hips as John raised his eyebrows. "I've met all the Winchesters in my lifetime," Charlie finished, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

John turned towards his sons, question plastered on his face. Dean and Sam knew what the questions were about. Who were the girls? Why were they here? Which were all good questions, and would be answered in turn.

"Of course," John started, looking back at Charlie. "Because that's every girl's dream."

Charlie smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, okay, I see where Dean gets all his charm from." She stuffed her hands in her jeans pockets and shrugged. "But, you are right. I'm Charlie," she introduced.

John chuckled and shook his head. "Charlie, huh? And you're a hunter?"

"But of course," she said with a smile, tilting her head to the side.

"And this lovely lady?" John asked, nodding towards Becca.

She knew it wasn't his fault, but something inside her just seemed to get so rigid all of a sudden and she kept her arms crossed as he looked her way. "Becca," she said, trying to keep the coldness out of her voice.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Becca," John replied, inclining his head. He could tell she didn't like him. He didn't blame her, but her words caused him to wonder who exactly she was. Looking at his sons and the two women in front of him he frowned. "Two sons...two women. Do I need to ask anything else?"

"Nope," Dean answered, leaning down to pull the knife out of the back of the djinn and standing up. "About...the four people in the room that it. Now, about Sam and this demon, yeah, there's some shit you need to know."

Even Sam rose his eyebrows at the way Dean spoke to John. Usually there were short sentences ending in 'sir'. But apparently, time changes things.

John nodded. "Alright, let's go back to that hotel you're staying at and you can fill me in." With that, he turned and started walking out of the room.

Sam pulled out his phone as soon as his dad left the room. "Told you it wasn't a trap," Dean told him as he dialed 911. After calling out an ambulance for the two people in the next room, he and Becca walked out of the room, quietly talking, leaving Charlie and Dean. Charlie took one last look at the ugly thing before taking a step passed Dean, only to find his hand around her arm.

"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him comically.

He kept a serious face. "Were you just flirting with my father?" he questioned.

Charlie tried to keep a straight face. She really, really tried, but she couldn't and fell in a grin and light laugh. "So what if I was?" she said before walking passed him and outside. She saw John's pristine truck and shook her head, it only fit to have an old truck for Papa Winchester. "Come on, Becca, we're leading," she called to the other woman as she got into her Camaro.

John gave Dean a quizzical look as Charlie started up her car but Dean just shook his head. There was no use telling his head that he actually let a woman lead him around. Not that Dean didn't have a say in things, just sometimes, it was better to just stop and let Charlie be Charlie. Once the three vehicles were on the road--Charlie, followed by Dean then John--conversation sprung up in the two cars.

"So that's Sam and Dean's dad," Becca clarified, watching the stripes on the road flash by.

"Yep. Mr John Winchester himself."

"And I'm guessing he's a big deal?"

"Chyeah! He's like Mr Infamous himself! Every hunter knows his story. There's not one hunter out there that doesn't at least know his name."

"Right," Becca said in a quiet voice, turning to look out the window, her breath causing the window to steam up.

Xxxxxxx

"Dad was here! See, Sammy, I told you it wasn't a trap," Dean said, keeping his eyes on the Camaro's tail lights.

"Yeah," Sam said stiffly, keeping his eyes pointing straight out the window and his expression blank.

Dean sighed and glanced over at his brother. "What's wrong? Not happy to know that he's alive?"

"No, I'm just...thinking."

"Yeah? 'Bout what?" Dean usually didn't have a sympathetic ear, but for his brother, sometimes he let it slide.

"Telling Dad everything. About my visions and the demon and the other people like Becca and me. Everything's connected Dean and the minute Dad knows, he'll be gone again and you know it. We've been looking for him for months and months, Dean. And you know that he'll be gone just like that afterwards."

So much for a moment of happiness to know that his father was alive. Dean took a moment to think the words through. "Look, Sam, you know that when we're around Dad..." he paused, hating hearing himself say it but knowing it was true, "he's more vulnerable, alright? The longer we stay around him, with these demons coming after us, the more in danger we all are. Including Charlie and Becca," he added, almost like a bait.

Sam just nodded, not having any other words to say. He wasn't all together comfortable with telling his father about what was going on. Usually he'd be all for telling John, getting help for figuring something out since he always seemed to be great at figuring out all that supernatural mumbo-jumbo. But Sam had gotten pretty good at it himself, even with those two years away from the job. He didn't want to tell John everything, but he knew he was going to.

Xxxxxxx

Once parked at the hotel, the five of them walked inside, getting odd looks from a few people who were signing in at the front desk. It wasn't impossible to know why they were getting such looks. The hotel was actually a nice one, so why were people looking like them at a place so nice? Who really cared, was what Dean thought. All he ever needed was a bed and food and hell, he could live without a bed. How many times had he crashed in his car? He lost track.

"Hey, I'll be right in," Charlie said to the group, stopping at the door to her and Dean's room. They all nodded and continued down the hall to the other room. Opening the door, Charlie flicked on the lights and pulled out her cell phone as the door closed. Scrolling down to her brother's number, she hit send and started pacing the room.

"Yeah?" Alex answered, sounding distracted.

"Nice way to answer your phone, Alex," Charlie commented.

"Mmm, sorry," he mumbled. "Uh..something wrong?"

"Nope. On the contrary," she replied dramatically, "guess who was at the warehouse? Besides the djinn."

"Besides the djinn? Uh...the Easter Bunny?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Haha, very funny. But seriously, John Winchester was there." So much for hiding her excitement from her voice.

"John Winchester," Alex repeated, a hint of laughter on his voice. "And why do you sound like some crazed fan girl?"

"If I was next to you, I'd punch you," she said darkly before grinning. "Just _because_, Alex, it's John Winchester! He's like...the head honcho; the one person I never expected to meet in my _life_."

"Besides Dean and Sam."

"Yes, them too. But really, Alex! All three Winchesters, together and I'm with them! It's way more than just exciting."

"Mhm, well just don't let Dean catch on the fact that you're crazy for his dad."

She rolled her eyes again. "You're useless," she said in a disappointing tone. "We're twins, remember? Don't we have any sort of twiny-connection anymore?"

"Guess that stopped when say...we were born?"

Charlie glared out into the pitch black through the window. "Whatever, smarty. I should go. Just figured I'd let ya in on the reunion of the century that you're missing."

"Yeah, yeah," Alex muttered.

"Tell Mom I love her."

"Will do."

Shaking her head as she hung up, Charlie ran a hand through her hair and straightened her jacket before flicking off the lights in the room and walking back into the hall. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and wondered if her life got totally screwed up just by meeting the Winchesters. It had never seemed more screwed up, but somehow, she wouldn't give it up for the world. And it wasn't all just Dean either; Sam was a great guy. One of those majorly good guys that you rarely see anymore. Guess he makes up for Dean's 'ways'.

When she got to the door of the other room, Becca was just coming out. Charlie heard raised voices in the room. Sighing, the blonde crossed her arms as Becca quickly closed the door, buffering the voices slightly.

"Guess the happy reunion couldn't last too long," Charlie said with a half-hearted smile.

Becca nodded softly. "Yeah. I uhm...didn't think it'd be right to be in there. I mean, I haven't known any of them for that long."

"I know what you mean," Charlie replied, moving so that she could put an arm around Becca's shoulders. "But that's always the way with boys. Especially these boys. They ain't exactly the Brady bunch, honey."

Becca chuckled. "Yeah I got that part."

"Exactly. See, if you can see it too, then something must be done." With a swift nod, Charlie turned and put her hand on the doorknob.

"Wait, are you sure?" Becca asked, almost in a whisper as the voices got louder.

"Hell yeah," Charlie said with a mischievous grin before letting the door swing open. The voices died down, and three pairs of harsh eyes turned toward the door and the two woman in the doorway. "Come on, folks," Charlie said in a light voice, walking inside the room and over to John. "Is this any way to talk to your boys, Mr. Winchester? I mean, they've only been through hell trying to find you all this time. And _okay _I can get how you'd be mad they didn't mention Sam's little psychic thingy earlier, BUT remember how you never answer your phone? Yeah, that sorta solves that problem. As for Sam," she turned on the youngest, "for my sake, don't fight with Daddy Dearest at the moment, kay? It just makes the who 'meeting the parents' thing a _little _awkward for a girl. _Aanndd_," she drew out the word as she walked over to Dean, "you know you're really sexy when you've been yelling?"

John raised his eyebrows at Charlie. For such a small, petite woman, she sure had spunk and no shortage of words. And he felt a strong meaning behind her words. He was rather pissed that Dean hadn't told him about everything going on with Sam lately, but it was true when she said that he never answered his phone anyway. So he had to give her that. She was good; thorough. "And do I have to mention that he's my son?" he said, clearing his throat.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "I do believe that I just reminded you of that, sir," she said, her voice now sweet as honey. "But alright, I'll keep my hands off," she added, crossing her arms, but staying standing next to Dean. Seeing a slight movement out of the corner of her eye, Charlie remembered Becca. "And as an afterthought," she started, "I believe you didn't really get to meet Sam's girl exactly the way it was intended. John, Becca. Becca, John. Welcome to meet the parents day."

John looked from the blonde, to the other woman and to his boys. Then broke into a smile and let out a chuckle as he moved to sit at the table. "Dean, where'd you find this girl? She's got a mouth on her like I've never heard."

"Actually, I found _him_," Charlie answered before Dean could open his mouth. "See, he stole my gig, and I was sorta pissed at him at first. I almost took it out on his car, but she's too much of beauty to hurt."

Dean and Sam could only shake their heads. For about a month, Charlie had been sort of quiet, keeping to a few jokes here and there while they were teaching Becca the ropes and all of a sudden, she's acting like she was when they all first met up. It was like someone flicked a switch and she was back to being old Charlie.

"I see," John said, watching the four young people sit around the room. Becca and Sam grabbed the other seats from the table and Charlie and Dean were settled on the side of the bed. "So boys, you met the demon?"

There was no need to explain which demon he was talking about. "Yes, sir," Dean replied, settling back into ihisi old habits. As much as his dad was his dad, old habits die hard, especially when they were grilled into him from age four.

"And there are other psychics like Sammy...the demon was--"

"Going to use us for a ceremony," Becca interrupted. "It was a certain day and time frame that made it possible for demons to possess someone and basically be attached to them forever, never dying and having complete control. If they possessed the psychics, then they would have power over our...abilities."

John raised his eyes to look at the small brunette. "Our? You have some...ability too?"

"Yep," she replied, none too enthusiastically. Barely concentrated, she sent the TV remote flying from on top of the device to in front of John. He looked aghast and she sent him a small smile.

"I see," he muttered, picking up the remote and looking at it as if to see if it was jinxed.

"Right," Charlie said, breaking the slight silence. "I think the more pressing matter is that we didn't kill the demon or his followers. So, we know he's going to try something else again. We don't know what or when...but it's going to be something big. I'm sure of it."

Just then, there was a slight knock on the door. All of them fell silence instantly, out of habit. Becca glanced around before standing up and walking towards the door. Everything seemed to go in slow motion: Sam suddenly got a flash of pain in his head and fell out of the chair and to his knees. Images flashed in front of his eyes as Becca turned back from the door and the other three stood. "Lisa," he muttered out, just as someone kicked the door in.

In walked Lisa, the pretty demon that had tried to kill Dean, all those months ago. The one that had been thrown out of a three story window by a Daeva. Eyes coal black, a small smirk crossed her face as Charlie and Becca crashed back into the walls of the room, being pinned there by the demon's power. As the three men tried to move, they found that they were stuck in place.

"Lisa," Dean hissed, glaring at the demon as it slowly circled around him, looking at him like he was a piece of meat. "I thought we got you."

"Oh, Dean, you'll just have to do a better job next time," she said in a sultry voice, stopping in front of him.

"Why are you here?" John managed to get out.

Lisa smirked, swiftly pulling out a gun and pointing it at Charlie, who was helplessly pinned. And the look on her face...she was terrified. Charlie had never been unprepared for a demon attack before. This was new...bad. And all she could find herself thinking about was seeing her mother and brother again. It had been a month since she'd seen her twin, and a year since she saw her mom. But she wasn't going to let herself break down. Somehow...she would get out of this. All of them would.

"No," Dean whispered.

"Let her go," Sam demanded, eyes fierce. "Let the girls go. Take me. I know I'm want the demons want."

"Tut, tut, Sammy," Lisa said, turning to look at the youngest Winchester. Her gun was still perfectly aimed at Charlie's heart. "It doesn't work that way, buddy boy. I take you and your big brother and your daddy and we go take a trip to hell," she said softly, eyes still eerily black.

"Oh god," Charlie managed to say, careful to keep her voice strong and not letting it break. "You demons and your fucking plans. I'm sick of all the plans. If you want the Winchester's so badly, why the hell don't you all have them already? Or are you just that weak and unskilled that you fuck up your stupid plans all the time?"

Lisa--or should we say, the demon inside of her--hated being talked down to by hunters. A growl low in her throat, she didn't think twice before pulling the trigger. There was a loud blast as the bullet left the gun, followed by another, a moment later. John stood there, an antique looking gun smoking in his hand and Lisa, dead on the floor. Demon and all.

"No," Dean whispered, finding himself free of any demon bonds now. "No, no, no," he said over and over, rushing over to Charlie. She had slumped to the floor after the demon was killed, breaking the bonds holding her up. He landed on his knees next to her, and everything around him--every sound and sight--seemed to be dulled. "Charlie," he whispered, watching the blood blossom out from the shot wound. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he muttered, pushing her hair away from her face. There wasn't anything he could do and he knew it. He swallowed hard and felt tears stinging his eyes.

"Dean," Charlie whispered, barely audible. In the split second between getting shot and falling to the ground, she had seen her whole life flash in front of her eyes. The last twenty four hours had been life changing, only now there would be no life left to be changed. She felt herself slipping away and knew she had just moments left. "I love you."

Her words made his breath stop in his throat. But there was no time to think or to speak as he felt her go limp in his arms, eyes closing for one last time.

_A/N:  
Yes I did it. I can't help it. It was in my head from the beginning. Charlie is..gone. -sniffs- I must say that I made myself cry when writing this. Not to mention I just finished watching the second-to-last Supernatural episode and Bela died. And I loved her.  
So yeah..Charlie's gone. There's only going to be one more chapter in this puppy. And I have to say that I'm most proud of this story than any other. Reviews would be hella nice._


	22. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you recognize and I do own the ones you don't recognize so please don't steal them!**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Epilogue**

The air was frigged, making your breath little puffs of steam. There were no birds chirping, no leaves on the trees, nothing happy about the scene at all. Which fit the scene at hand much more than could be imagined. An incredibly small funeral was taking place at the cemetery in an equally small town in Kentucky. It was nearing the end of January, a time when most people would be getting sick of their new year's resolutions and slacking off.

But not for Dean Winchester. Nor his father and brother and brother's girl. John had known Charlie barely over an hour. Becca had known her for about a month. Sam and Dean had known her...for a while. Six months, Sam guessed, though he never really kept track.

Unlike most hunters, Charlie was going to be buried in a cemetery. Hunters normally were burned to ashes so their bodies couldn't be used or destroyed after they were buried. Hellen--Charlie's mother--had insisted she be buried with a tombstone. Alex was more than broken up about his twin's death and he spoke even less than normally.

Surprisingly, John stayed with his boys afterwards. Some part of him told him to stay, that maybe he could help Dean. John knew what it was like to lose a woman you loved. So didn't Sam. The three Winchesters were now more alike then they cared to think about.

Hellen was sitting in her wheelchair, and the others stood as a priest spoke. He was a family friend of Hellen, and knew about the evil the family fought.

Becca felt like she was the fifth wheel, not knowing Charlie that long. It felt wrong to be standing beside her family when she had barely known the woman. But Sam was there too, so she could do it. She slid her hand into his and it was like a silence comfort.

John felt even more like he didn't belong. He didn't know the girl who had died. He had heard of her father, but John hadn't known him. He was just trying to act like the father he should be, staying when his sons needed him.

Sam couldn't help going over everything he could remember doing with Charlie. There was tons of things that had happened in such a short amount of time. It was too short. She was too young. She shouldn't have died, she didn't deserve it. She was a great person, and for once, Sam couldn't say that Dean didn't know what he'd been going through after Jessica had died.

Alex was so broken up that he could barely stand. People had always told him that it was tragic when you lost a sibling, but Alex had never thought more on it. He had figured that he and Charlie would be hunting together for as long as they could and if one of them died, the other would be there and hence, die, as well. But he had never expected this. It felt like a whole half of him was gone, missing.

Hellen had always been a strong woman. She had to be, raising two kids to be hunters when her husband was dead. It was no easy task being a mother, and it was even more complicated when you were a hunter and had to teach your kids everything. She had never known that she would be burying her own daughter. There was nothing right with that. Charlie should have been the one burying her, not the other way around. It broke her heart more than she thought possible when she learned what had happened to her daughter.

Dean was a wreck. He could barely think, barely comprehend what had happened. It still couldn't seem to sink in. He didn't know what was so wrong with him that he couldn't face the facts. He had spent his whole life knowing things other people didn't; believe in things that other people didn't and now...he didn't know what to think or how to even start. She said that she loved him. Deep inside himself, he knew that he loved her too, which only made this even harder. Even when he thought he'd found someone who would be safe with his line of work, she still ended up being the one to get hurt--fatally. Now all Dean was left with were memories and the bittersweet reminder that Charlie wasn't around anymore. It was somehow his fault and he knew it. Back when it happened, Dean's first thoughts were on making a deal to bring her back. He was border lining on slightly crazy, just wanting her back, but John had told him that a deal would just be gambling, as demons never told the truth and him being a Winchester, it wouldn't be the same as if he were a normal person getting a deal. So Dean was stuck here, looking down at a coffin that would rot in the ground.

Not being able to take it any longer, Dean turned on his heel and walked off as the coffin was lowered into the ground. He couldn't just stand there. He...he didn't know what to do. He shakily walked towards the Impala, not even being able to look at the Camaro that Alex and his mother had come in. Crossing his arms, he leaned up against the grill, eyes venturing to study the ground at his feet.

"Dean," a soft voice spoke. He looked up. Alex and Hellen were in front of him. He couldn't imagine what the two of them were going through. "Alex told me about you and Charlie," she continued.

_Did he?_ Alex had left before the big things really started happening. Not that he blamed the guy, his mother needed him. Dean couldn't say that.

"I just want you to know...I'm sure Charlie cared for you very much and it's not your fault." Hellen opened the purse in her lap and pulled out a chain, on which hung Charlie's watersteel cross. "Here, she would have wanted you to have it."

Dean's breath caught in his throat as Hellen put the necklace in his hand. He remembered that day when they'd gone and bought her a new chain for it, after the vampire attack. They had come in, looking like two country-bumpkins, getting stares and odd service from the sales person. "Thank you," he managed to get out, curling his fingers around the cross. "I'm sorry I couldn't save her."

With that, he stood and walked to the back of the Impala, slipping the necklace in his pocket. Opening the trunk, he propped it open with a shotgun and sorted through the weapons, checking guns and ammo supplies. Footsteps on the gravel told him that Sam was coming.

"Dean...what are you doing?" Sam asked, voice a bit softer than usual.

"Getting ready," Dean replied, keeping up with the work at hand.

Sam frowned slightly. "Ready for what?"

Dean paused working and straightened up, double-barrel shotgun in his hands. "That demon, he's going to pay for what he's done, Sam." Tossing the gun in the back, he shut the trunk. "We've got work to do."

_A/N:  
It's over! I can't believe it. 2 years in the making. And a week before season 3 finale! Which was my goal. Getting it done before then. I'm not positive if I'll do a sequal, but keep your eyes open and if I get enough reviews, I might._

_New A/N: Edited this last chapter (I put down the wrong month for this to take place), and keep your eyes out for the sequel! It's going to be called _We Lose Because We Win._ I'll have it up very shortly :)_


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